DETAIL
The obverse of the coin depicts the head of the Roman Emperor Marcus Trajan. Emperor Trajan is depicted with laureate crown and accompanied a fairly complex legend. The legend is in Greek and within the limitations of a Latin keyboard, it reads "AVTOKR KAIC NER TRAIAN CEB GERM DAK". Were the legend in Latin, it would read something like "IMP CAES NERVA TRAIAN AVG GERM DAC". "TRAIAN" would be short of "TRAIANVS", or "Trajanus" or "Trajan" as he is known in English, which of course refers to the Emperor's name, there being no "J" in Roman Latin and no "U"; the "I" and "V" being those closest to the English "J" and "U". "NERVA" is in recognition of his adoption by his predecessor, the Emperor Nerva.
Emperor Trajan's name is preceded by "AVTOKR" or "AVTOKRATOR" in Greek, the equivalent of the three Latin letters "IMP", an abbreviation for the title "Imperator" (or "autocrator", the origin of the term "autocrat"). Imperator was originally a title or acclamation awarded to victorious generals in the field during the Republic Period (before Julius Caesar). Throughout the history of Republican Rome, the title was bestowed upon an especially able general who had won an enormous victory. Traditionally it was the troops in the field that proclaimed a man imperator - the first step in the process of the general applying to the senate for a triumph (a ceremony both civil and religious held in Rome itself to publicly honor the general and to display/parade the glories and trophies of Roman victory).
After Augustus Octavian (Julius Caesar's successor) had established the hereditary, one-man rule in Rome that we refer to as the Imperial Roman Empire, the title Imperator was restricted to the emperor and members of his immediate family. If a general who was not part of the imperial family was acclaimed by his troops as Imperator, it was tantamount to a declaration of rebellion or civil war against the ruling emperor. Though the title Augustus is probably the closest Latin equivalent to the English word emperor; it was eventually the term Imperator which became the root of the English word "Imperial". "IMP" could also be used to abbreviate the term "Imperatrix", which was the title of the wife an Imperator.
The Greek "KAIC" which follows is the equivalent of the Latin letter "CAES", short for "CAESAR". "Caesar" was a title of imperial character used by either the Emperor or the heir apparent of the Emperor - though in the fragmenting later Roman Empire it was used to refer to the "junior" sub-emperors; inferior to "Augustus", or the "senior" Emperor. The title's origin was the name of Julius Caesar, the famous Roman General and Dictator. This came about when Octavius, eventually the first Emperor of Rome, was named by Julius Caesar posthumously (in his will) as his heir and adopted son. Octavius adopted the name "Caesar" in order to emphasize his relationship with his Uncle, Julius Caesar.
Eventually the term evolved into part of a title, "Imperator Caesar Augustus", when Octavious adopted his nephew Tiberius Claudius Nero as his successor, renaming him "Tiberius Iulius Caesar". The precedent was set: the Emperor designated his successor by adopting him and giving him the name "Caesar". The title was occasionally accompanied by that of "Princeps Iuventutis" (literally "Prince of Youth"). After some variation among the earliest Emperors, the title of the heir apparent evolved into NN Caesar before accession and Imperator Caesar NN Augustus after accession. A later evolution expanded the title to "NN Nobilissimus Caesar" ("Most Noble Caesar") rather than simply NN Caesar. Ultimately to this the additional titles "Pius Felix" ("the Pious and Blessed") and "Invictus" ("the Unconquered") were added.
The next appellation in the legend is the Greek "CEB", which is equivalent to the Latin "AVG", which was an abbreviation for Augustus. The term "Augustus" is Latin for "majestic" (thus the honorific salutation "your majesty"). However the term "Augustus" in the common vernacular of the Roman Empire became synonymous with the Emperor. The first "Augustus" (and first man counted as a Roman Emperor) was Octavius, Julis Caesar's nephew and heir. Octavian was given the title of Augustus by the Senate in 27 B.C. Over the next forty years, Caesar Augustus literally set the standard by which subsequent Emperors would be recognized, accumulating various offices and powers and making his own name ("Augustus") identifiable with the consolidation of these powers under a single person. Although the name signified nothing in constitutional theory, it was recognized as representing all the powers that Caesar Augustus eventually accumulated.
Caesar Augustus also set the standard by which Roman Emperors were named. The three titles used by the majority of Roman Emperors; "Imperator", "Caesar", and "Augustus" were all used personally by Caesar Augustus (he officially styled himself "Imperator Caesar Augustus"). However of the name "Augustus" was unique to the Emperor himself (though the Emperor's mother or wife could bear the name "Augusta"). But others could and did bear the titles "Imperator" and "Caesar". Later usage saw the Emperor adding the additional titles "Pius Felix ("pious and blessed") and "Invictus" ("unconquered") in addition to the title "Augustus"). In this usage, by signifying the complete assumption of all Imperial powers, "Augustus" became roughly synonymous with "Emperor" in modern language. As the Roman Empire began splintering, Augustus came to be the title applied to the senior Emperor, while the title "Caesar" came to refer to his "junior" sub-Emperors.
Finally the obverse inscriptions ends with "GERM DAK" in Greek, the equivalent of "GERM DAC", or "GERMANICVS" "DACICVS" in Latin. "GERM" is short for "Germanicus Maximus", "the greatest conqueror of the Germans". The title celebrates the Emperor's conquest of the German tribes in Pannonia in 97 A.D. while he was still Governor of Upper Germany under Emperor Nerva. The suffix "DACICVS" is short for "Dacicus Maximus", again, literally "the greatest conqueror of the Dacians". The title celebrates the Emperor's conquest of Dacia in 101 and 102 A.D., which was subsequently annexed as part of the Roman Empire. The emperor is depicted "laureate", or wearing a wreath or crown composed of laurel, or "bay leaves". This wreath of laurel leaves is an attribute of the Graeco-Roman God Apollo, and is a symbol of victory. In Greek Mythology, Apollo fell in love with the legendary mountain nymph Daphene. Daphene, anxious to escape Apollo's amorous interests, asked the Gods of Olympus to change her into a bay tree. Thereafter Apollo always wore a laurel wreath made from the leaves of her sacred tree to show is never failing love for her. Apollo also declared that wreaths were to be awarded to victors, both in athletic competitions and poetic meets under his care.
Laurel wreaths became the prize awarded in athletic, musical, and poetic competitions. For instance by the 6th century B.C., the winners of the ancient Greek Pythian Games (forerunner of the Olympics and held every four years at Delphi) were awarded a wreath of laurel leaves. Ancient Greek coins from at least as far back as the second century B.C. depict laurel wreaths worn by not only Apollo, but also Athena, Saturn, Jupiter, Victory (Nike), and Salus. Eventually the custom of awarding a wreath of laurel leaves was extended from victors of athletic events to the victors of military endeavors. The symbolism was inherited (or mimicked) by the Romans, to whom the bestowal of a laurel wreath became the sign of a victorious general acclaimed by his troops.
After defeating Pompey, the Roman Senate not only voted Julius Caesar Imperator for life, but also awarded him the right to wear the laurel wreath in perpetuity. From that point on it is said that Julius Caesar always appeared in public laureate, and all of his coinage depicted Julius Caesar wearing the laurel leaf crown. Thus the laurel leaf crown became associated not only with the victorious general, but became a symbol of the office of Caesar and Imperator. There were other types of wreaths in Graeco-Roman Mythology as well. Dionysus was oftentimes depicted either with a wreath of ivy or with a wreath composed of grape leaves. Zeus was oftentimes depicted with a wreath of oak leaves, and wreathes of roses became associated with Aphrodite. As well, funeral wreaths became a Roman custom, and were often carved into the decorative elements of a sarcophagus.
The Emperor Trajan was born Marcus Ulpius Trajanus in Spain on September 18, 53 A.D. Trajan was the son of M. Ulpius Traianus, a prominent senator and general from a famous Roman family. The family had settled in the province of Hispania Baetica (Andalusia, Spain) sometime toward the end of the Second Punic War with Carthage. Trajan rose through the ranks of the Roman army, serving in Syria under his father and then in some of the most contentious parts of the empire's frontier, along the Rhine River. As legate of Spain's Legion "VII Gemina" he marched to the Rhine at Emperor Domitan's orders in 89 A.D. to crush the uprising of a usurper to the throne, Antoninus Saturninus. He then took part in Emperor Domitian's wars against the Germanic peoples, and was known as one of the foremost military commanders of the empire when Domitian was killed in 96 A.D. Domitian's successor Nerva appointed Trajan governor of Upper Germany ("Germania Superior"). Nerva used the occasion of a victory in Pannonia over the Germans in late October, 97 A.D. to announce the adoption of Trajan.
The new Caesar was immediately acclaimed Imperator and granted the Tribunicia Potestas. From victory against the Germans Nerva assumed the epithet Germanicus (greatest conqueror of the Germans) and conferred the title on Trajan as well. Early in 98 A.D. Nerva also appointed Trajan as Counsel, just before his death in January of 98 A.D. In a quiet and peaceful accession, Trajan assumed Nerva's vacant throne, so becoming the first non-Italian Emperor of Rome. The almost century long period between Trajan's accession to the throne in 96 A.D. and Marcus Aurelius's death in 180 A.D. marked a period recorded by Edward Gibbons, famous chronicler of the Empire, as "the five good emperors". It was a period in which heirs were selected by aptitude and then adoption rather than merely one's genetic offspring. It was a period of great stability and prosperity. In the end, Marcus Aurelius failed to adopt an heir, instead, allowing the throne to go to his biological offspring Commodus (the unstable offspring/emperor portrayed in the Hollywood hit "Gladiator").
In 101 A.D. shortly after his accession to the throne Trajan undertook the conquest of Dacia, which was subsequently annexed as a Roman province. After Trajan captured Sarmizigethusa, the Dacian capital in 102 A.D., he received the title of Dacicus (greatest conqueror of the Dacians). A famous column, still standing today in Rome, was built to commemorate the Dacian Wars. Trajan commissioned an extensive building program within the city of Rome, and constructed many roads, bridges, and aqueducts throughout the Empire. His popularity was such that the Roman Senate eventually bestowed upon Trajan the honorific of optimus, meaning "the best". These were truly the glory days of the Roman Empire, and the Empire expanded to its maximum historical limits.
In 113 AD Trajan set out to annex (by force, of course) both Armenia and Mesopotamia. He achieved considerable success in his efforts to expand the Eastern frontier, and four new provinces were added to the Roman Empire as a consequence. Trajan conquered Armenia and took the Parthian cities of Babylon, Seleucia, Susa, and the capital of Ctesiphon in 116 A.D. He continued southward to the Persian Gulf from where he declared Mesopotamia a new province of the empire. Never again would the Roman Empire advance so far to the east. Shortly thereafter however revolts broke out in a number of provinces closer to Rome and Trajan was forced to withdraw to Antioch. Trajan set out to return to Rome, but died on the return journey at Selinus in Cilicia in August of 117 A.D. On his death bed he had named Hadrian as his successor.
The reverse of the coin depicts the (pre-Islamic) Arabian Goddess Al-Lat, or to the Roman, simply "Arabia". Arabia Petraea was a frontier province of the Roman Empire beginning in the second century; it consisted of the former Nabataean kingdom in modern Jordan, southern modern Syria, Sinai, and northwestern Saudi Arabia. Its capital was Petra. It was bordered on the north by Syria, on the west by Judaea and Egypt. In AD 105 or 106 the Roman Emperor Trajan annexed the major part of the kingdom of Nabatea and created the province of Arabia Petraea, across the Red Sea from Egypt, before moving on to conquer the greater part of the Parthian empire, including Armenia and Upper Mesopotamia. The capital city, Petra, served as the base for Legio III Cyrenaica.
The conquest of Arabia was not officially exulted until completion of the Via Nova Traiana. This road extended down the center of the province from Bostra to Aqaba. It isn't until the project is finished that coins were struck commemorating the annexation of Arabia. These commemorative coins featured Trajan's bust on the obverse and on the reverse, a representation of a female figure in flowing robes. The figure is flanked by either a camel (or depending on the opinion of the authority, an ostrich) at her feet, and she holds a branch in one hand over the animal, and in the crook of her opposite arms she has a bundle of cinnamon sticks. It is generally believed by historians that the female figure is that of the Goddess of Arabia, "Al-Lat", or as she was sometimes known, "Alilat".
"Al-Lat" was a pre-Islamic Arabian goddess who was one of the three chief goddesses of Mecca, and was worshipped by the Nabataeans of Petra, who equated her with the Greek Athena and the Roman Minerva. The Greek Historian Herodotus, writing in the 5th century B.C., considered Al-Lat the equivalent of Aphrodite. Herodotus wrote, "the Assyrians call Aphrodite Mylitta, the Arabians Alilat, and the Persians Mitra". According to Herodotus, the ancient Arabians believed in only two gods. Herodotus wrote, "they believe in no other gods except Dionysus and the Heavenly Aphrodite". In pagan (pre-Islamic) Arabian mythology the moon god, who was named Hubal had three daughters named al-Lat (simply "the goddess"), al-Uzza and Manat.
Each daughter had a separate shrine near Mecca (Makkah), where the moon god Hubal (al-Lah or "the God") had his shrine, the Kaaba. The most prominent shrine of al-'Uzza was at a place called Nakhlah near Qudayd, east of Mecca towards Taif. The Goddesses Al-Uzza, Al-Lat and Menat formed a triad in pre-Islamic Arabia. They were widely worshipped; from Nabatean Petra in the North to the legendary Kingdoms of Arabia Felix in the South, including Saba, the Biblical Sheba; as far east as Iran and Palmyra. Al-Lat was considered the Mother Goddess, her name simply meant "The Goddess", as Al-Lah simply meant "The God". Al-Lat continued to be venerated until the rise of Islam, when the temples and shrines of all of the pre-Islamic deities were destroyed and vilified.
The coin was actually struck at the Roman Provincial Arabian Mint at the city of Bosra. Bosra is an ancient city in southern modern-day Syria. It is an archaeological and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The settlement was first mentioned in the documents of Tutmose III and Akhenaton (14th century B.C.). Bosra was the first Nabatean city in the 2nd century B.C. The Nabatean Kingdom was conquered by Cornelius Palma, a general of Trajan, in 106 A.D.
The Nabataeans were an ancient trading people of southern Jordan, Canaan and the northern part of Arabia, whose oasis settlements in the time of Josephus gave the name of Nabatene to the borderland between Syria and Arabia, from the Euphrates to the Red Sea. Their loosely-controlled trading network, which centered on strings of oases that they controlled, where agriculture was intensively practiced in limited areas, and on the routes that linked them, had no securely defined boundaries in the surrounding desert.
Under the Roman Empire, Bosra was renamed Nova Trajana Bostra, residence of the legion III Cyrenaica and capital of the Roman province Arabia Petraea. The city flourished and became a major metropolis at the juncture of several trade routes, including the Roman road to the Red Sea. However the Nabatean culture itself, and their characteristic finely-potted painted ceramics, became dispersed and was eventually lost.
Many examples of graffiti and inscriptions document the area of Nabataean culture, which extended as far north as the north end of the Dead Sea, and testify to widespread literacy; but no Nabataean literature has survived, nor was any noted in antiquity, and the temples bear no inscriptions. Ancient historians described them as a strong tribe of some 10,000 warriors, pre-eminent among the nomads of Arabia, eschewing agriculture, fixed houses, and the use of wine, but adding to pastoral pursuits a profitable trade with the seaports in frankincense and myrrh and spices from Arabia Felix (today's Yemen), as well as a trade with Egypt in bitumen from the Dead Sea.
The extent of Nabataean trade resulted in cross-cultural influences that reached as far as the Red Sea coast of southern Arabia. The gods worshipped at Petra were headed by Dushara and al-Uzza. The Nabataeans were allies of the first Judaean Hasmoneans in their struggles against the Seleucid monarchs. One of the more significant cities of Nabatea, Petra, was built during the Hellenistic period and developed a population estimated at 20,000. See pictures of Petra here),here),here), and here).
The Forces of Rashidun Caliphate under Khalid ibn Walid conquered the city from the (Byzantine) Romans in the Battle of Bosra in 634 A.D. Today, Bosra is a major archaeological site, containing ruins from Roman, Byzantine, and Muslim times. The city features what is thought to be the best-preserved Roman theatre in the world. If you'd like to see some pictures of some of the archaeological highlights of Basra, they can be found here), here), here), and here).
The legend on the reverse of the coin actually refers to the goddess not at all. In Greek the legend is inscribed "DHMARC EX IZ VPAT C". If it were in Latin, the legend would read "PM TR P XVII COS VI". Rather it is a recitation some of the various accolades and titles held by the fortunate Septimius Severus. "P M" is an abbreviation for "Pontifex Maximus". As Augustus, an acclamation or title oftentimes attributed to the Emperor was that of as "Pontifex Maximus", literally "greatest bridgemaker", the significance being that he was the chief priest of the Roman state religion. From 382 A.D. onwards this title has been held by the Pope in Rome. Prior to Octavious Augustus Julius Caesar (in the Roman Republic) the Pontifex Maximus was the head of the pagan Roman Religion, the most important of the priests (pontifices) of the sacred college (Collegium Pontificum). However with the establishment of Empire, Julius Caesar, then Octavius Augustus, and then each Roman Emperor afterwards held the title Pontifex Maximus himself, as the Roman Emperor became deified, i.e., a living god and the apex of the Roman religion.
The reverse legend continues, "TR P XVII", an abbreviation for Tribunicia Potestas (the "XVII" indicates the seventeenth term). As Augustus, an acclamation or title oftentimes attributed to the Emperor was that of Tribunicia Potestas, literally "tribunician power". As such the Emperor he had personal inviolability (sacrosanctitas) and the right to veto any act or proposal by any magistrate within Rome, the authority to convene the Senate, and the right to exercise capital punishment in the course of the performance of his duties. Of course constitutionally Tribunes were meant to represent the common man, the plebians. Since it was legally impossible for a patrician to be a tribune of the people, the first Roman "Emperor", Caesar Augustus, was instead offered of the powers of the tribunate without actually holding the office. This formed one of the main constitutional basis of Augustus' authority, and the power was generally "renewed" annually by successive Emperors.
The abbreviation "COS VI", an abbreviation indicating (the sixth) term as Consul. As Augustus, an acclamation or title oftentimes attributed to the Emperor was that of Consul. As Consular Imperium (Imperial Consul) he had authority equal to the official chief magistrates within Rome. He had authority greater than the chief magistrates outside of the city of Rome, and thus outranked all provincial governors and was also supreme commander of all Roman Legions. Originally "Consul" was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic (ultimately it was an appointed office under the Empire). Under the Republic two consuls (with executive power) were elected each year, serving together with veto power over each other's actions.
The office of consul was believed to date back to the traditional establishment of the Republic in 509 B.C. Consuls executed both religious and military duties. During times of war, the primary criterion for consul was military skill and reputation, but at all times the selection was politically charged. Initially only patricians could be consuls, but later the plebeians won the right to stand for election. With the passage of time, the consulship became the penultimate endpoint of the sequence of offices pursued by the ambitious Roman. When Octavius Augustus, heir to Julius Caesar, established the Empire; he changed the nature of the office, stripping it of most of its powers. While still a great honor and a requirement for other offices, about half of the men who held the rank of Praetor would also reach the consulship.
However under the Empire, Emperors frequently appointed themselves, prot‚g‚s, or relatives without regard to the requirements of office. For example, the Emperor Honorius was given the consulship at birth. One of the reforms of Constantine the Great was to assign one of the consuls to the city of Rome and the other to Constantinople. When the Roman Empire was divided into two halves on the death of Theodosius I, the emperor of each half acquired the right of appointing one of the consuls. As a result, after the formal end of the Roman Empire in the West, for many years thereafter there would be only one Consul of Rome. Finally in the reign of Justinian the consulship was allowed die; first in Rome in 534 A.D.; then in Constantinople in 541 A.D.
Your purchase includes, upon request, mounting of this coin in either pendant style "a" or "b" as shown here. Pendant style "a" is a clear, airtight acrylic capsule designed to afford your ancient coin maximum protection from both impact damage and degradation. It is the most "politically correct" mounting. Style "b" is a bezel wrap mount in either sterling silver or 14kt gold fill. Both pendant styles include a split ring for mounting your pendant onto a silver tone or gold tone chain, also included in the cost of your purchase. Upon request, there are also an almost infinite variety of other pendants which might well suit both you and your ancient coin pendant, and include both sterling silver and solid 14kt gold mountings, including those shown here. As well, upon request, we can also make available a huge variety of chains in lengths from 16 to 30 inches, in metals including sterling silver, 14kt gold fill, and solid 14kt gold. Please note, you must request and specify how you wish your coin mounted, as absent specific instructions to the contrary, the default shipment method is the unmounted coin.
HISTORY: Coins came into being during the seventh century B.C. in Lydia and Ionia, part of the Greek world, and were made from a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver. Each coin blank was heated and struck with a hammer between two engraved dies. Unlike modern coins, they were not uniformly round. Each coin was wonderfully unique. Coinage quickly spread to the island and city states of Western Greece. Alexander the Great (336-323 B.C.) then spread the concept of coinage throughout the lands he conquered. Ancient coins are archaeological treasures from the past. They were buried for safekeeping because of their value and have been slowly uncovered throughout modern history. Oftentimes soldiers the night before battle would bury their coins and jewelry, hoping and believing that they would live long enough to recover them, and to return to their family. Killed in battle, these little treasure hoards remain until today scattered throughout Western and Eastern Europe, even into the Levant and Persia.
As well, everyone from merchants to housewives found the safest place to keep their savings was buried in a pot, or in some other secretive location. If they met an unexpected end, the whereabouts of the merchants trade goods or the household's sugar jar money might never be known. Recently a commercial excavation for a new building foundation in London unearthed a Roman mosaic floor. When archaeologists removed the floor, they found 7,000 silver denarii secreted beneath the floor. Even the Roman mints buried their produce. There were over 300 mints in the Roman Empire striking coinage. Hoards of as many as 40,000 coins have been found in a single location near these ancient sites. Ancient coins reflect the artistic, political, religious, and economic themes of their times. The acquisition of ancient coins is a unique opportunity to collect art which has been appreciated throughout the centuries.
Coins of the Roman Empire most frequently depicted the Emperor on the front of the coins, and were issued in gold, silver, and bronze. The imperial family was also frequently depicted on the coinage, and, in some cases, coins depicted the progression of an emperor from boyhood through maturity. The reverse side of often served as an important means of political propaganda, frequently extolling the virtues of the emperor or commemorating his victories. Many public works and architectural achievements such as the Coliseum and the Circus Maximus were also depicted. Important political events such as alliances between cities were recorded on coinage. Many usurpers to the throne, otherwise unrecorded in history, are known only through their coins. Interestingly, a visually stunning portrayal of the decline of the Roman Empire is reflected in her coinage. The early Roman bronze coins were the size of a half-dollar. Within 100-150 years those had shrunk to the size of a nickel. And within another 100-150 years, to perhaps half the size of a dime.
One of the greatest civilizations of recorded history was the ancient Roman Empire. In exchange for a very modest amount of contemporary currency, you can possess a small part of that great civilization in the form of a 2,000 year old piece of jewelry. The Roman civilization, in relative terms the greatest military power in the history of the world, was founded in the 8th century (B.C.). In the 4th Century (B.C.) the Romans were the dominant power on the Italian Peninsula, having defeated the Etruscans and Celts. In the 3rd Century (B.C.) the Romans conquered Sicily, and in the following century defeated Carthage, and controlled the Greece. Throughout the remainder of the 2nd Century (B.C.) the Roman Empire continued its gradual conquest of the Hellenistic (Greek Colonial) World by conquering Syria and Macedonia; and finally came to control Egypt in the 1st Century (B.C.).
The pinnacle of Roman power was achieved in the 1st Century (A.D.) as Rome conquered much of Britain and Western Europe. For a brief time, the era of "Pax Romana", a time of peace and consolidation reigned. Civilian emperors were the rule, and the culture flourished with a great deal of liberty enjoyed by the average Roman Citizen. However within 200 years the Roman Empire was in a state of steady decay, attacked by Germans, Goths, and Persians. In the 4th Century (A.D.) the Roman Empire was split between East and West. The Great Emperor Constantine temporarily arrested the decay of the Empire, but within a hundred years after his death the Persians captured Mesopotamia, Vandals infiltrated Gaul and Spain, and the Goths even sacked Rome itself. Most historians date the end of the Western Roman Empire to 476 (A.D.) when Emperor Romulus Augustus was deposed. However the Eastern Roman Empire (The Byzantine Empire) survived until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 A.D.
At its peak, the Roman Empire stretched from Britain in the West, throughout most of Western, Central, and Eastern Europe, and into Asia Minor. Valuables such as coins and jewelry were commonly buried for safekeeping, and inevitably these ancient citizens would succumb to one of the many perils of the ancient world. Oftentimes the survivors of these individuals did not know where the valuables had been buried, and today, two thousand years later caches of coins and rings are still commonly uncovered throughout Europe and Asia Minor. Roman Soldiers oftentimes came to possess large quantities of "booty" from their plunderous conquests, and routinely buried their treasure for safekeeping before they went into battle. If they met their end in battle, most often the whereabouts of their treasure was likewise, unknown. Throughout history these treasures have been inadvertently discovered by farmers in their fields, uncovered by erosion, and the target of unsystematic searches by treasure seekers. With the introduction of metal detectors and other modern technologies to Eastern Europe in the past three or four decades, an amazing number of new finds are seeing the light of day 2,000 years or more after they were originally hidden by their past owners. And with the liberalization of post-Soviet Eastern Europe, new markets have opened eager to share in these treasures of the Roman Empire.
These antiquities come from a number of collections which by and large originated here in Eastern Europe. As well, additional specimens are occasionally acquired from other institutions and dealers, principally in Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. All of these artifacts are now in the United States and are available for immediate delivery via U.S. Mail. Proceeds of the sales benefit the Southern Urals State Student Association for Archaeological and Anthropological Studies in Russia; providing both postgraduate and undergraduate students with meaningful part-time employment, notebook computers, and both reference and study materials. It also supports other institutions and organizations within Russia involved in the study of anthropology and archaeology. All purchases are backed by an unlimited guarantee of satisfaction and authenticity. If for any reason you are not entirely satisfied with your purchase, you may return it for a complete and immediate refund of your entire purchase price.
SHIPPING: These antiquities come from a number of collections which by and large originated here in Eastern Europe. As well, additional specimens are occasionally acquired from other institutions and dealers, principally in Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. All of these artifacts are now in the United States and are available for immediate delivery via U.S. Mail. All purchases are backed by an unlimited guarantee of satisfaction and authenticity. If for any reason you are not entirely satisfied with your purchase, you may return it for a complete and immediate refund of your entire purchase price. A certificate of authenticity (COA) is available upon request.
Our order fulfillment center near Seattle, Washington will ship your purchase within one business day of receipt of your personal check or money order. If you wish to pay electronically, we accept both PayPal and BidPay. However we ask that you PLEASE WAIT before remitting until we have mutually agreed upon method of shipment and shipping charges and you understand our PayPal limitations and policies (stated here)
. We will ship within one business day of our receipt of your electronic remittance. 
