This coin depicts Aeneas, a prince of Troy and legendary ancestor of Caesar. At the end of the Trojan War, Aeneas escaped Troy, carrying his elderly father and holding tight to his young son’s hand, settling on the coast of Italy, where his descendants would go...
According to Roman tradition, Lucius Junius Brutus became one of the first Consuls of Rome in 509 BCE after overthrowing its last king, Tarquinius Superbus. Centuries later, his descendant Marcus Junius Brutus (of “Et tu, Brute” fame) invoked this legendary act of...
Minted quickly by Cato to pay his soldiers as they battled Caesar’s forces in modern-day Tunisia, this small coin depicts the goddess Victory and the god Liber, powerful symbols of Roman hope and liberty. Despite this appeal to the gods, Cato and his forces could not...
Ceramic figurine of a young woman. She wears a long, simple dress known as a chiton with a blue himation or cloak. Such figurines were common around Greece and the broader Mediterranean. They offer a rare glimpse in the daily life of women in the ancient...
This ceramic object is a pyxis, a small cylindrical container with a fitted lid often used by ancient people to store small items such as jewelry or cosmetics. This example depicts two women and an eros (cupid); one woman looks at herself in a mirror while the eros...
Coinage offered an effective means of circulating political messages to a broad population. This silver tetradrachm was minted in Egypt under Ptolemy I Soter. The obverse shows a portrait of Alexander the Great with an elephant-scalp cap, horns of Ammon, and aegis;...
This gold stater is a popular type that was produced during the reign of Philip II of Macedon (359–336 BCE), father of Alexander the Great, to celebrate his victories in the Olympic Games. The obverse of the coin features the god Apollo wearing a laurel wreath crown,...
The rearing cobra, also known as the uraeus, was a central symbol of kingship and rule in Ptolemaic Egypt. Cobra figures were dedicated as votives to the goddess Wadjet; they were also incorporated into architecture and furniture as well as royal headpieces. This...
