Constantine I solidus

A rare Roman solidus of Emperor Constantine I was dug up from a field in Somerset in 2019. Its estimated at £10k-12k.

On the reverse is a rare portrayal of Constantine riding his horse in battle holding a spear and shield with two fallen enemy soldiers. It commemorates a victory over Maxentius at Milvian bridge outside Rome on October 28, 312. Constantine the Great ruled between 306 and 337 AD.

Constantine enacted reforms. To combat inflation he reintroduced the solidus. The solidus was introduced by Diocletian in small issues and later reintroduced for mass circulation by Constantine the Great in c. AD 312. Constantine's solidus was struck at a rate of 72 to a Roman pound (326.6 g) of gold or about 4.5 grams. The new gold coin became the standard for Byzantine and European currencies for more than a thousand years.

Constantine was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, which he did on his deathbed.

Constantine was a ruler of major importance, and a controversial figure. Constantine had his eldest son Crispus seized and put to death by "cold poison" at Pola (Pula, Croatia) sometime between 15 May and 17 June 326. In July, he had his wife Empress Fausta killed in an overheated bath. Constantine was succeeded by his three sons born of Fausta, Constantine II, Constantius II and Constans. More bloodshed followed.

Siberian archaeologists unearth 2,500 yo Scythian grave

Archaeologists in Siberia unearthed a 2,500-year-old grave of an ancient couple in 2020.

Both are believed to have died in their 30s and were buried together with a newborn and an elderly woman. The couple are thought to be spouses, whereas the elderly woman might have been their servant as she had no valuables. Remains of the baby were scattered throughout the grave, most likely due to rodents eating the flesh. All of the people from the grave are from the Tagar culture that was part of the Scythian civilization.An impressive set of weaponry was found including close fight weapons in a female grave, which is not typical. Women Scythian warriors typically used long range bows and arrows. The woman had a battle axe so she was a part of a warrior elite.

Commodus aureus

An extremely rare early aureus of Commodus was sold in 2019. Commodus was Roman emperor from 177 to 192, first serving as nominal co-emperor under his father Marcus Aurelius and then ruling alone from 180.

Dating to 178 AD and struck in Rome. 25,000 euros.

Other rarities include a Manlia Scantilla aureus. 193 AD. Rome. Manlia Scantilla was the wife of Didius Julianus. Didius Julianus was Roman emperor for nine weeks from March to June 193, during the Year of the Five Emperors. He bought the title from the Praetorian Guard. Julianus was killed and succeeded by Septimius Severus. 35k Euro. Elagabalus aureus. 218-219 AD. Rome. 16k Euro.

Vivid fresco depicting gladiators from Pompeii

A vivid fresco depicting a gladiator standing victorious as his wounded opponent gushes blood was discovered in Pompeii in 2019.

A 'murmillo' holds aloft his shield in his left hand, as he grips his short sword in the right. On the ground next to him lies the shield of the defeated 'thraex', who has suffered wounds and is bleeding. The thraex is gesturing with his hand, possibly asking for mercy.

A murmillo was a heavily armored Roman gladiator who fought with a large rectangular shield and a short sword, named after the Greek word for a type of fish due to his distinctive helmet. A Thraex, or Thracian, was equipped with a distinctive Thracian-style weapon and armor, including a small rectangular shield called a parmula and a curved short sword known as a sica. They also wore leg greaves.

Trajan - optimus princeps

M. Ulpius Trajanus, was born at italica, near Seville, the 18th of September, 52. He was consul in 91, and at the close of 97 he was adopted by the Emperor Nerva, who gave him the rank of Caesar. He was the first emperor who was born out of Italy. Trajan was Roman emperor from 98 to 117 AD.

Officially declared by the Senate optimus princeps ("the best ruler"), Trajan was a successful soldier-emperor who presided over the greatest military expansion in Roman history, leading the empire to attain its maximum territorial extent by the time of his death. Trajan was the first emperor born outside Italy. Trajan is best known for his public building program, which reshaped Rome and left many landmarks such as Trajan's Forum, Trajan's Market and Trajan's Column.

Early in his reign, he annexed the Nabataean Kingdom, creating the province of Arabia Petraea. His conquest of Dacia in 105–106 greatly enriched the empire. The conquest paid for many of Rome's monuments. In 107 Trajan devalued Roman currency. He decreased the silver purity of the denarius from 93.5% to 89% – the actual silver weight dropping from 3.04 grams to 2.88 grams.

In late 117, while sailing back to Rome, Trajan fell ill and died of a stroke in the city of Selinus. He was deified by the Senate and his ashes were laid to rest under Trajan's Column. He was succeeded by his adopted son Hadrian.

This devaluation, coupled with the massive amount of gold and silver carried off after Trajan's Dacian Wars, allowed the emperor to mint a larger quantity of denarii than his predecessors. Trajan Gold Aureus. Rome, struck A.D. 103-11.

Malia Bee Pendant

The Malia Bee Pendant is a spectactular gold pendant discovered in 1930 at the cemetery of Chrysolakkos, ("pit of gold") in the ancient Minoan town of Malia in Crete.

It was made sometime between 1800 and 1700 B.C. Although the famed archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans suggested the pendant depicted bees, the meaning behind the design has been debated. It is 1.8 inches (4.6 centimeters) long and weighs 0.2 ounces. (5.5 grams) The ancient goldsmith combined several techniques to create the piece — filigree, granulation, repoussé and incised decoration. The pendant is considered a masterpiece.

Some researchers suggest the pendant shows European honeybees (Apis mellifera) in the process of making honey. This doesn't account for the three dangling circles. These may represent the fruits of the Mediterranean hartwort (Tordylium apulum), an edible herb that's common in Crete. If the dangling discs represent this fruit, the insects being depicted may be mammoth wasps (Megascolia maculata). Whatever the maker intended, the Malia Bee Pendant is one of the finest and most intricate examples of Aegean Bronze Age metalwork in the world.

Queen Berenice II gold found in Jerusalem

Archaeologists excavating the City of David in Jerusalem uncovered a rare 2,300-year-old gold coin. The obverse bears the profile of Queen Berenice II of Ptolemaic Egypt. It is a quarter drachma 99.3% gold and dates to 246–241 B.C. Only 20 of these coins are known.

The coin displays Berenice wearing a diadem veil and a necklace around her neck. The reverse features a full cornucopia, an ancient symbol of prosperity and fertility with two stars beneath it, surrounded by the Greek words “of Queen Berenice.” Berenice II (born c. 269—died 221 bc) was the daughter of Magas, king of Cyrene (modern Libya), whose marriage to Ptolemy III Euergetes reunited her country with Egypt. The coin is the only one of it’s kind ever discovered outside Egypt. Archaeologists suggest it was minted in Alexandria as a reward for soldiers who fought in the Third Syrian War (246-41 BC).

Treasures of Thrace

Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe, centered on the modern borders of Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey. In antiquity, it was also referred to as Europe, prior to the term to describe the whole continent.

Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east. The areas it comprises are southeastern Bulgaria (Northern Thrace), northeastern Greece (Western Thrace), and the European part of Turkey (Eastern Thrace). The biggest part of Thrace is part of present-day Bulgaria. The population of Thrace was a people called the Thracians, divided into numerous tribal groups. The region was controlled by the Persian Empire at its greatest extent, and Thracian soldiers were known to be used in the Persian armies. Later, Thracian troops were known to accompany Alexander the Great when he crossed the Hellespont.

Some of Bulgaria’s famous Thracian treasures were part of a major exhibition at the Louvre Museum in Paris in 2015. The exhibition brought together more than 1,600 objects from 17 Bulgarian museums and several international museums including the Louvre and the Prado Museum, giving visitors an opportunity to see in one place some of the most significant Thracian artifacts that have ever been discovered.

The Odrysian kingdom was mostly on the territory of present-day Bulgaria but also included parts of modern Greece and Turkey. It was a regional power which was involved in the struggle with the Macedonian kingdom and with Athens and Sparta. One of the exhibition highlights is the bronze head of Seuthes III. Hilt with gold inlay of Seuthes III's sword. ca. 331 BC.

Another highlight was the Panagyuriste gold treasure, which was excavated in 1949 and consists of gold drinking vessels that are elaborately decorated with mythological scenes and images, showcasing the artistic skills of the Thracians.

Rare gold hemidrachm from Thasos, Thracian islands.

Gold and silver greave (knee-piece)

Vetranio - Temporary Emperor

Vetranio entered the army and served with distinction under the mighty Constantine I (AD 306-337), the first Christian ruler of Rome, who even during his lifetime came to be called "Magnus" -- The Great.

Upon Constantine's death, the Roman Empire was split between his three surviving sons: Constantine II, Constantius II, and Constans. In 340 CE, sibling bloodletting eliminated Constantine II and the survivors divvied up the spoils, with the West going to Constans.

A coup toppled Constans early in 350, replacing him with Magnentius, who had no blood connection to the Constantinian dynasty. For 10 months, Vetranio played the man in the middle, alternately professing loyalty to Constantius and telling Magnentius he might be open to an alliance.

Magnentius quickly consolidated his power base. Commanding a large army at a critical crossroads between two rivals, Vetranio was in a delicate position. In December 350, Constantius marched west and met Vetranio at Naissus in modern Serbia.

Constantius

On Christmas day Vetranio formally abdicated the throne. Constantius pensioned him off to an opulent estate in Bithynia. Unwilling to accept Magnentius as co-ruler, Constantius waged a civil war against the usurper, defeating him at the battles of Mursa Major in 351 and Mons Seleucus in 353. Magnentius died by suicide after the latter battle, leaving Constantius as sole ruler of the empire.

Vetranio had played his difficult hand well, and enjoyed a far better fate than most others who claimed the top chair. Having two mints under his control, Siscia and Thessalonica, Vetranio struck coins both in his own name and that of Constantius II. His bronze coinage is scarce, the silver rare, and the gold extremely rare.

Octavian and the Battle of Actium

Emperor Augustus, died on this day (August 20) in 14 AD of natural causes while visiting Nola. He was 75. He was the founder of the Roman Empire, and reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death. August is named in his honour.

Octavian was the son of Julius Caesar's niece, Atia.  Octavian was 20 years old when he learned of Caesar's assassination. Caesar had no living legitimate children under Roman law and so had adopted Octavian, his grand-nephew, in his will, making him his primary heir. Octavian returned to Italy to avenge Caesar's murder. In 43 BCE, he formed the Second Triumvirate with Marc Antony and Lepidus. They defeated Brutus and Cassius and divided the empire, with Octavian holding most of the West and Antony the East.

Antony and Cleopatra grew closer as Octavian worked to restore Italy. In 33 BC, the Second Triumvirate ended, leaving Antony with no legal authority. Octavian began a campaign against him, declaring war against Cleopatra.

Octavian’s admiral Marcus Agrippa held Antony’s fleet back in the bay of Actium in Greece. Antony and Cleopatra escaped, leaving the rest of his men to surrender. Antony fled to Alexandria where he and Cleopatra eventually took their own lives in August, 30 BCE; this marked the end of the Roman civil wars.

This coin was minted in Rome, 13-14 AD.

Rome was officially transformed from a Republic to a Principate in January, 27 BCE. Octavian was crowned 'Augustus'. Over the next 40 years, Augustus shared his authority with the Senate. It would not be until Augustus’ coinage reform in 23 BCE that the gold aureus would come into standard use. In addition to his reorganization of the state and institutions of Rome, Augustus introduced a formal system of fixed ratios between denominations of coins.