by Michael E. Marotta
© Copyright 2000 by Michael E. Marotta
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by Michael E. Marotta
© Copyright 2000 by Michael E. Marotta
This is a reprint of a 1959 work that originally appeared as two separate volumes. There is no better value for the money. This book (or the original pair, if you can find them) is an ideal start for any collector -- especially when coupled with Wayne Sayles' new books on Ancient Coins. The works complement each other perfectly. If you do not yet have a need for the industry standard works by David Sear, the Klawans books deliver the basic facts about ancient coinage.
Greek numismatics is complex. It wasn't until after Alexander's colleagues established their kingdoms that coins carried much of a legend. The gods and goddesses were widely honored. Athena and her Owl were indeed the hallmark of Athens. Other towns also struck coins with a helmeted goddess and an owl. So, having this book will not make you a cherry-picker. However, you will be able to read the dealer's catalogs. You will know from the Pegasos and Athena in Corinthian Helmet that the town issuing the coins was Corinth or one of her colonies. You will know Metapontom and its wheatstalk and Thourion and its bull.
The introduction is solid and concise. Klawans shows how to read inscriptions, providing a bit of Greek grammar in the process. His historical outline builds an excellent foundation for your next round of study.
The section (or book) on Roman Coins may be more useful, if only because the Romans themselves were more organized and regular. I personally collect Greek coins and I have the Sear books. I do not actively collect Romans. So, I rely on this work. Often, when I pick up the odd piece at a decent price, I come first to Klawans. I rely on the list of common and official names. (Elagabalus and Caracalla both called themselves "Marcus Aurelius Antoninus" -- as did the man who really bore the name.) When I get a denarius, I want to know exactly what year it was stuck. So, I rely also on the table of Consulships and Tribunacian Powers. For each emperor there is a paragraph of biography. (This includes wives and pretenders.) I find these thumbnail sketches helpful as a first approximation in placing a coin in its historical context. The only downside is that this book only described Imperial -- not Republican -- coins.
If you you think you might want to pursue ancients, you need a book, and this is a good place to start. You never know where your collecting road will take you. Before you discover how you relate to the coins of Baktria, Britain, or Byzantion, this work can help you navigate the broad seas of ancient coin collecting. You can find it in the sales catalogs of many coins dealers, as well as sellers of supplies, and of course numsimatic books.