Coins (Interpreting the Past Series)

Rating:
Summary: Beyond Coin Collecting
Review: In this book Andrew Burnett writes that there is the wealth of information that coins can contribute to our understanding of the past. For example, the coins minted by Richard the Lionhearted and his brother John all carried the name of their father Henry II because public confidence was based upon an unchanging design. Or for another example, the coins minted by Caesar Augustus phased out the use of divine symbols when depicting the emperor. The political message sent by the coins was that Augustus was "first among equals." Not surprisingly, Nero reinstated the use of divine symbols on his coins. The political message here is that Nero was "first without equals." As historical sources coins have a couple of advantages. One is that they were officially produced. And the second is that they were massed produced.

_Coins_ is a concise yet very interesting book for readers who want to get beyond coin collecting.