A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins is a fascinating and accessible monograph told through the lens of 12 particular/significant coins as relayed by Gareth Harney. Released in the UK in 2024, this US release is due out 14th Jan 2025 from Simon & Schuster on their Atria imprint. It's 368 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
Artifacts from history or prehistoric times have their own presence. It's compelling to hold a coin or flint knapped arrowhead or knife in our hands and impossible not to feel connected to the long ago ancestor who lived with and used these items in their daily lives. Indeed, the author's own decades long entanglement with coin collecting was started by holding an ancient Roman coin in the palm of his hand.
This is an eminently readable and engaging book, told informally but with accuracy. The author does a good job of setting each coin in its historical context, describing both the physical characteristics and a snapshot of the world of the time. It's not written in academically rigorous language, but it is well annotated throughout, and the chapter notes and recommended reading list will provide keen readers with many hours of further learning.
Five stars. Fascinating book. It's well illustrated throughout, mostly in black and white, but there are a number of color photos and illustrations of historical sites, coins, and artifacts in the back of the book.
It would make a superlative choice for public or school library acquisition, for readers who enjoy ancient history, numismatists, etc.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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