The Instructions of Shuruppak - 2600 BC

The Instructions of Shuruppak is a fragmentary tablet, written in Sumerian. The earliest copies of this text represent some of the oldest literature known - from about 2600 BCE. The inscription reads in part: Do not buy an ass which brays too much. Do not commit rape upon a man's daughter; the courtyard will learn of it. Do not answer back against your father.

Even at the dawn of the written word, people looked to a more ancient past for wisdom.

Shuruppak's instructions begin by recalling "those far remote days" and "those far remote years" as the source of the wisdom it imparts. Linguists estimate that the Proto-Indo-European language was spoken around 5,500 years ago. But they have dated another ancient language, Proto-Afroasiatic — the grandparent of languages like Ancient Egyptian, Hebrew, and Arabic — to 10,000 to 20,000 years old.

Pompeii

Girl Attaching a Peplum Statue

A small port on the Sarno River, Pompeii had thrived as a Roman colony for over two centuries. Its inhabitants knew nothing of Mount Vesuvius’s previous eruptions, which dated to the seventh century B.C.

On August 24, 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius erupted, spewing a gigantic cloud of molten rock and pulverized pumice some thirty kilometres into the air. Tons of pumice, rocks and ashes rained down on Pompeii, piling up on the streets and collapsing roofs and walls. Although the eruption caught the inhabitants completely by surprise, most of them managed to escape. Only those who took shelter indoors were doomed. Paradoxically, the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius contributed to preserving much of Pompeii, which remained relatively undisturbed under metres of ashes for centuries.

Dog from the House of Orpheus

New discoveries from Pompeii give insight into the daily life of the Roman town before the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

See ----->Treasures of Pompeii

Special ancients bring top dollar

Two Dekadrachms from the time of Dionysios I were auction stars.

One signed by Kimon and graded NGC Ch VF ★ Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5, and the other signed by Euainetos and graded NGC Ch EF★ Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5. The Kimon coin sold for $360k and the Euainetos for $198k, both well exceeding their estimates.

A phenomenal Elagablus Aureus graded NGC Ch MS★, Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5 brought $312k, and a Septimius Severus Aureus graded NGC Ch AU, Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5 made $192k.

Golden curse tablets found in ancient Serbian tomb

In 2016 archaeologists in Serbia discovered golden curse tablets in ancient Roman tombs. The tablets contain inscriptions with magical symbols calling upon both gods and demons to unleash ill-health, punishment, and death upon enemies, unrequited lovers, bad neighbors and relatives.

The curse tablets were found in Roman tombs at the Viminacium archaeological site, the capital of the former Roman province of Moesia Superior in Serbia. The territory was under Roman (and later Byzantine) rule for about 600 years, from the 1st century BC until the 6th century. Viminacium occupies a total of about 450 hectares (1,100 acres)

“..so long as someone, whether slave or free, whether man or woman, keeps silent or knows anything about it, they may be accursed in blood, and eyes and every limb and even have all intestines quite eaten away if they have stolen the ring or been privy (to the theft).” Other curses are even more personal ... “May your penis burn away when you make love.”

In Viminacium, Christians and pagans buried together suggests they were living together in relative harmony.

Aqrabuamelu - Scorpion men

Scorpion men are featured in several Akkadian myths, including the Enûma Elish and the Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. They were also known as aqrabuamelu or girtablilu. The Scorpion Men are described to have the head, torso, and arms of a man and the body of a scorpion. Their "terror is awesome" and their "glance is death."

The mysterious fate of “The Apollo of Gaza”

An extremely rare bronze statue of the Greek god Apollo resurfaced in the Gaza Strip in 2014, only to be seized and vanish. A fisherman says he scooped the 500-kg statue from the sea bed, and carried it home on a donkey cart.

Police from the Islamist group Hamas, which rules the Palestinian territory, swiftly seized it. Archaeologists have not been able to get their hands on the Apollo since – to their great frustration. From what they can tell, it was cast sometime between the 5th and the 1st century BC. The discolored green-brown figure shows the youthful, athletic god standing upright on muscular legs; he has one arm outstretched, with the palm of his hand held up. He has compact, curly hair, and gazes out seriously at the world, one of his eyes apparently inlaid with a blue stone iris, the other just a vacant black slit.

The statue is unique and most experts say priceless. It's current whereabouts remains unknown.

The finder said he cut off one of the fingers to take to a metals expert, thinking it might have been made of gold. Unbeknownst to him, one of his brothers severed another finger for his own checks. This was then melted down by a jeweller. It is very rare to find a statue which is not in marble or in stone, but in metal. 5,000 years of history lie beneath the sands of the Gaza Strip, which was ruled at various times by ancient Egyptians, Philistines, Romans, Byzantines and crusaders. Alexander the Great besieged the city and the Roman emperor Hadrian visited.

Roman gold : Coins of the Twelve Caesars

Gaius Julius Caesar (born 13 July 100 BCE), belonged to the Caesares family of the large Julian clan. He would live to make the name “Caesar” a title for emperors and their sons; a title that would endure for millennia, becoming Kaiser in German and Tsar in Russian. Few of Caesar’s gold coins bear his portrait; many depict an uncertain female goddess. A rare example struck by a military mint moving with Caesar’s army in 48-47 BCE sold for over $300k.

The assassination of Caesar renewed the civil war, which ended 17 years later when his great-nephew Octavius received the title of “Augustus” from the Senate. On much of his elegant gold coinage the only inscription is the word AUGUSTUS. Although he lived to the age of 75, his coin portrait remained youthful and idealized. A superb aureus of Augustus sold for nearly $400k.

Caligula was born in the year 12. His father Germanicus was a successful, popular general. Caligula’s mother, Agrippina was the daughter of Marcus Agrippa, the organizer behind Octavius’s victory in the civil war. Caligula’s silver and gold coins are scarce.

Following the murder of Caligula (24 January 41), the Praetorian Guard declared his uncle Claudius, aged 51, as emperor. Claudius proved to be an effective ruler for the next 13 years.

In numismatics, Nero is remembered as the depraved emperor who debased Roman coinage.

Nero is remembered as a depraved emperor. Nero’s gold coins survive in large numbers and are the most affordable aurei of the Twelve Caesars.

Nero’s suicide resulted in another civil war. Servius Sulpicius Galba was proclaimed emperor by his legions. Galba’s coinage is abundant.

Aulus Vitellius was born in 14 CE. Galba appointed him commander of the legions in Germania. He defeated Otho’s forces and occupied Rome in June, 69. He lasted eight months. When the legions of the East under general Vespasian advanced on Rome, he was hunted down and killed on December 22. The coinage of Vitellius is scarce.

Titus Flavius Vespasianus was the son of a tax official. He rose through the ranks and distinguished himself in the invasion of Britain (43 CE). In 67, Nero sent him to crush the revolt in Judaea. On July 1, 69, the legions proclaimed Vespasian emperor at Alexandria. Titus was 40 when he succeeded his father but lived only two years.

His most famous coin is a very rare bronze sestertius depicting the Colosseum. An example sold for $155k.

The Arch of Titus in Rome marks the destruction of Jerusalem.

Domitian was about 30 when he succeeded his elder brother Titus. His coinage was prolific.