ranged in the cabinet of the antiquary, noticing, as we pro- | ceed, the principles and rules which direct him in making such an arrangement. GREEK MEDALS claim the first place in a cabinet, by reason of their antiquity and their workmanship. Coinage began, perhaps, about 1000 B.c.-for before that time, weight was the only principle of estimating money, as we learn from the Scriptures and other ancient writings. The following are the stages of the progress of coinage: 1. Coins, or mere pieces of metal without any impression. 2. Those which have a hollow indented mark or marks on one side, and an impression in relief on the other: this sort of coinage was used from about 900 to 700 B.C. 3. Such as have an indented square divided into segments, with a small figure in one of the segments, the rest being vacant; and impressions on the obverse as usual. This sort of coinage lasted till about 600 B.C. 4. Those which are struck hollow on the reverse, while the obverse is in relief, usually with the same figure; which coins are perhaps coeval with those of the last class. 5. Coins in which a square dye is used, either on one or both sides: these lasted till about 420 B.C. 6. Complete coins, both as to obverse and reverse: such occur in Sicily, where the art was carried to great perfection as early as 490 B.C. The best informed antiquaries consider that the most ancient coins, as well of Greece as of other countries, are distinguishable by the following marks:-1. They have a sort of oval, swelling circumference:-2. Their letters are of an antique character:-3. Part of the legend is in the common style, while the next is retrograde:-4. They have the indented square:-5. The process of their coinage is of a simple character:-6. Many of them are hollowed on the reverse, and have the image impressed on the front:-7. The dress, symbols, &c., are often of the rudest design and execution. Among other coins which bear marks of great antiquity, are some Persian pieces, with the archer upon one side, and the hollow square upon the other. At one time, indeed, many of the coins and medals of Athens were square; and all over Asia and Africa there once circulated not only square, but octagon money. A kind of square money of red copper, was used in France, in the time of the Emperor Honorius, A.D. 420. Though the Athenians possessed mines of copper, yet they were so unwilling to employ this metal as specie, that they preferred gratifying their taste or vanity by cutting silver into such small pieces, that they were sometimes mistaken for scales of fishes. Gold was also very scarce at this time, when a copper coinage had not yet been adopted. In the course of time, the Greeks acquired great elegance; evincing strength, beauty, and relief in their impressions. The modern medallist distinguishes the early Greek medals into civic and monarchical; or cities and kings: those of cities being generally the most ancient. The civic medals are usually stamped on the obverse, with the head of the genius of the city, or of some favourite deity; while space so circumscribed, that the artists of antiquity would seem to have sometimes vied with each other in the production of the most striking representation within the smallest possible limits."-AKERMAN. The monarchical coins of Greece are often of + ame construction with the civic; only that they bear the name of the prince on the reverse. They usually have the bust of some deity in front; and seldom the image of the prince. These coins chiefly interest by their portraits, and are important in clearing up ancient History. The most ancient series is that of Macedon, commencing about 500 B.c. By the time Philip II. became king, the Macedonian coins began to be beautiful: those of Alexander the Great, about 350 B.C., are wonderful; for in his time the art seems to have attained its highest perfection. It is to the Greek coins that were struck before the cities and sovereignties of the Greeks were included in the Roman empire, that the highest praise of the best judges has been awarded. The Grecian imperial coins are those which were struck when Greece formed part of the Roman empire: but it is usual to consider those Greek coins of cities, which have the head of an emperor or empress, as imperial Greek coins: while those which have no such impressions, are classed with Grecian civic coins, though struck under the Roman power. Of imperial Greek coins none occur in gold: but there are in silver, those of Antioch, Tyre, Sidon, and other trading cities in the then opulent and commercial cities of Western Asia: of this sort are the coins of Ephesus, many of which bear a representation of the celebrated temple of Diana, referred to in the nineteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. AITAN COIN OF AMPHIPOLIS IN THRACE, WITH THE HEAD OF APOLLO. the reverse often presents some symbol used by the city, at the time when the piece was struck. The legend contains the initials, monogram, or whole characters of the name of the city. The civic coins interest by their variety, and are particularly useful in elucidating ancient geography. They present us with a view of the customs, laws, and religion of ancient cities; and likewise shew the wealth and power of each city and country. "In the types of some of the earliest Greek coins, we find a spirit and boldness both in design and execution, with which many of the more elaborate productions of modern times will not bear comparison. The rude and often misshapen lump of silver, upon which these types are impressed, contrasts most singularly with the wonderful freedom and spirit of the design. Armour, weapons, animals, plants, utensils, and the most graceful representations of the human figure appear in infinite and astonishing variety within a COINS OF EPHESUS. The Greek imperial brass coins are very abundant. Those of Antioch, which commonly have a Latin legend on the obverse, and Greek on the reverse, are so numerous as to furnish a series of almost all the emperors; being apparently struck for the purpose of paying the Roman forces in the East. We shall not attempt to specify the precise values of coins, whether Greek or Roman; first, because it would be somewhat tedious and uninteresting; and secondly, because such values, in English money, are even now open to dispute. We must, therefore, content ourselves with observing, that as weight originally served for the principle of estimating money; still, in settling very large sums weight continued to be taken as the standard, long after coined money came to be used. Hence the Mina and Talentum, the former containing 100 silver Attic drachms; and the latter 60 minæ. The mina and talent were therefore estimated by weight: but of the coined money, there were three chief sorts;-the obolus (brass) worth nearly 1d. English; the drachm (silver) 9d.; and the Philip (gold) nearly 17s. The term "Philip" became in the course of time a general name of gold money in Greece, for many years after Philip, King of Macedon, in whose reign such gold pieces were coined. But the values of the obolus, the drachm, and the Philip, were various in different states of Greece; and there were likewise many multiples and divisions of the same. ROMAN MEDALS claim the next place in the cabinet of the antiquary. The first Roman coins were large pieces of brass rudely impressed, and only on one side, with the figure of an ox, a ram, or some other animal; whence money was termed pecunia, from the Latin word pecus, cattle. In process of time this impression was changed to that of a bust of Janus upon the front, and the prow of a ship upon the reverse; and for more general use, pieces of inferior weight and value were coined. The grand distinction which marks the Roman coins, considered as medals in a cabinet, lies between the Consular and Imperial. The Roman consular coins seldom or never bore the names or titles of consuls till towards the close of that sort of government; but they are nevertheless properly called consular, because they were struck in the consular times of Rome. Those of the later as are also often called coins of families, from the circumstance that the names of many of the principal families of Rome were placed upon the fields of the coins, and they are always arranged alphabetically in families, according to the names which appear on them. The brass consular coins are not very interesting; as they consist chiefly of large unwieldy pieces, with types of insipid similarity. Few of them have any imagery or symbol. Such large pieces are generally kept in boxes apart, by those who are well acquainted with them. We are told however, that the Romans at first coined in lead, and afterwards, in the reign of Numa, in copper, before using brass. Servius Tullius made the as of brass, B.C. 550. The silver coinage began at Rome about 266 B.C. The denarius was the first and last form which it assumed; for the other sizes are so scarce, that very few seem to have been struck. On the later consular medals is seen much of that fine personification afterwards displayed on the imperial coins. About 62 years after the coining of silver, gold began to be coined at Rome. Of the consular coins and medals in copper and brass, there may be nearly 500; about 3000 in silver; and about 160 in gold. Most of the gold consular coins are of great beauty and high value. The Roman imperial coins claim our attention more particularly, owing to the extent of the Roman empire and our own connexion with it; interesting us therefore as much, or more than those of our own country. These coins are often distinguished into those of the upper and lower empire: the upper empire commenced with Julius Caesar, and ended A.D. 260; the lower empire lasted from thence to the taking of Constantinople by the Turks, A.D. 1453. All the imperial medals up to this date are usually reckoned among the antique; and yet there are none of any considerable beauty later than the age of Heraclius, who died A.D. 641. After the time of Heraclius, Italy became a prey to the barbarians; so that the coins and medals which appeared up to his time, seem to finish the set or series of imperial medals. To these, however, are added the coins and medals of the Greek emperors who reigned at Constantinople, to a later date. The Gothic medals are likewise considered to make part of the imperial ones: they are so called, as having been struck in the times of the Gothis, and in the declension of the empire, and savouring of the ignorance and barbarity of the age. The imperial series of brass coins begins of course, with Julius Cæsar; but some elegance and variety were exhibited in this coinage fifty years before Caesar's time. It is of three sizes; large, middle, and small. The large brass coins form a series of surprising beauty and vast expense. In this series the various colours of the patina, or oxidation, have the finest effect; and the great size of the portraits and figures conspires to render it the most important of all the Roman coinage: so that it even exceeds the gold in value, though the intrinsic value of each piece is only about twopence English. The series of the middle brass coins exceeds that of the large brass, but has not such elegance of work, or of types. Many coins are common in this series, which are rare in the other; and but very few examples occur to the contrary: hence this series is not so valuable as the first. There are, however, some rare and curious coins among them, particularly such as relate to the ancient history of this island, among which are some that personify the country Britannia, in a manner similar to what we have it on the copper coins of the present day. The small brass series has Senatus Consulto,-by a Decree of the Senate; because the The brass coins are distinguished by the letters S.C. senate alone had the power of striking brass, while the emperor himself had that of gold and silver. If, therefore, the S.C. be found wanting on any brass coin, it is supposed that such coin was once plated for the purpose of forgery. The large brass coins are of the size of our crown-pieces; the middle brass are of the size of our half-crowns; and the small brass coins are not bigger than our shillings, and are also smaller. The small brass series extends from the beginning to the close of the Roman Empire, or to about 670 A.D. The silver imperial coins are very numerous and various. This series is as complete as any, and of far cheaper purchase, as very few of the emperors are scarce in silver. Most types of even the large brass and the gold are found in the silver, which thus unites the advantages of all the metals. Sometimes the silver and gold coins, as being of one size, are struck from the same dye. But the imperial gold forms a series of wonderful beauty and perfection, attainable only by men of princely fortunes. In these the workmanship is carried to the greatest height; and the richness of the metal is surpassed by that of the types. As gold does not suffer from rust, the coins are for the most part in the same state as they came from the mint. Mr. Pinkerton infers that the number of Roman gold imperial coins may amount to 5000; the silver to 10,000; and the brass to 30,000; and that all the ancient coins together may reach to the number of 80,000: but this calculation, he says, cannot be very accurate. We come now to the COLONIAL coins of Rome, As Roman colonies were settled in various parts of the empire, their coins have sometimes Greek, and sometimes even Punic legends; though generally, the legend on one side of such coins is Latin: but those with Latin legends only are far more numerous. The colonial coins are only in brass: some of them are elegant; though most of them are rude and uninteresting. They begin with Julius Cæsar and Anthony. The only British Roman colony which had its own coins, was that of Camalodunum, supposed to be Maldon or Colchester, in Essex. This species of coin is one of Claudius, about A.D. 50; on the reverse is a team of oxen, with COL CAMALODON. AUG. On the reverses of Roman colonial coins, easily distinguished by their rude fabric, and the name of the colony on them, commonly beginning with COL. where an ensign stands alone, and without any persons, it shews a colony drawn from one legion; but when the ensigns or banners stand together, they evince the colony to have been drawn from as many legions as there are ensigns. The subjoined is a representation of a coin belonging to Gadara, one of the towns of the Decapolis, of which we read in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark. The Decapolis was eastward of the Lake of Tiberias, and Gadara was the chief city of the Roman province of Perea. The inhabitants, being The Romans, at the commencement of their civil polity, reckoned money by weight, as we observed before. Their chief coined money was the as in brass, the denarius in silver, and the aureus in gold. The as was worth rather more than three farthings of our money, the denarius almost 8d., and the aureus rather more than 20s. "It has been well observed that the military genius of the Romans is never more apparent than in their medals: in the warlike emblems which are constantly to be found upon them: in the frequent representations of harangues to their soldiers: and of rewards for military services. We are convinced by the same means of their extravagant superstition, from the frequent proofs of the deification of their emperors, consuls, and magistrates, of the superb temples which were erected to their honour, and the sacrifices which were regularly paid to their memory."-HALL. been melted down by Alexander the Great for his own coinage, when he conquered Persia. The gold Darics were worth rather more than the English guinea, and were preferred throughout the East for the fineness of their gold. We pass on now to make a few brief observations on the coins and medals of other nations, usually termed barbarian, premising that, by ancient coins, all before the ninth century, or age of Charlemagne, are meant; all after that period being deemed modern. No coins are found of Babylonian or Assyrian kings; the oldest found in those parts being Persian, and similar to the Greek. The Greeks seem to have preceded the Phoenicians in coining money, as the oldest Phoenician coins are not above 400 B.C. The great trading cities of Tyre and Sidon weighed their money; and coinage was long unknown in Egypt; for the thin, broad pieces of gold found in the mouths of mummies, and put there for the purpose of paying the passage of the souls into the infernal regions, have no mark upon them. India and China have no early coinage. The Lydian coins, therefore, seem to be the most ancient in Asia. Next to these are the Persian, well known by the ram, under which figure that state is alluded to in Scripture, in the book of Daniel; as also by the archer. None of these coins can be older than 570 B.C., when the Persian empire began. The famous Darics were issued by Darius Hystaspes, who began to reign 521 B.C. They occur both in gold and silver, and bear some resemblance to the coins of Egina, before mentioned. The Darics, from their extreme scarcity, are supposed to have PERSIAN COIN. There is a second series of the Persian coins; that of the Sassanidæ, which begins about A.D. 220, when Artaxerxes overturned the Parthian inonarchy. The Parthian coins have all Greek legends, but the later Persian bear only Persian characters: they are large and thin; with the king's bust on one side, and the altar of Mithras on the other, generally with a human figure on each side. The PERSIAN COIN. letters on Persian coins seem to partake of the ancient Greek, Gothic, and Alanic. The later Persian coins extend to the year A.D. 636, when Persia was conquered by the Arabian caliphs. The Hebrew shekels are of silver. They were originally didrachms (1s. 3d.); but after the time of the Maccabees, about B.C. 140, when the Hebrew nation first struck money for itself, they were coined of the value of the Greek tetradrachm, (2s. 6d.) The brass coins with the Samaritan characters, are many of them earlier than the Christian era, but were not current until after the return from the Babylonish Captivity, B.C. 536. Most of the Jewish coins have the sprig on one side, and the vase on the other, as on the shekel; the sprig bearing reference to Aaron's rod that budded, and the vase to the censer of incense. The coins of the heathens were usually stamped with the symbols of their idolatrous worship, to use which was a source of continual affliction to the Jews. In the time of Simon they were released from this grievance; and we find that on their own national coins, there is no representation of man or other creature upon it;-no portrait of any person, prince, or deity. In the annexed coin the ears of wheat are emblematic of the fertility of Canaan, and the tent refers to the Feast of Tabernacles. 140 B.C. On the front, in the old Samaritan character, is "the fourth year," and on the reverse-" from the deliverance of Jerusalem." PHOENICIAN COIN. The Phoenician coins, which begin to appear about 400 B.C., and of which we give one referring by the legend to the Sidonian goddess, Astarte, as also the Carthaginian, are rendered interesting by the ancient civilization and great power of those nations: their alphabets are nearly allied to the Syriac, Chaldaic, and Hebrew. Coins of Palmyra, the "Tadmor in the wilderness" or "City of the Palms," have likewise been found with a similar mixed alphabet. The Tuscan coins are inscribed with a character connected with the old Greek and Latin. The ancient Spanish coins have a character belonging to old Greek, or Punic: they are ancient, and not all struck by the Punic colonies; for the legends are in different characters. The ancient coins of Gaul are also numerous, and many of them in base gold; but, unhappily, the most ancient have no legends at all. It seems that our ancient British ancestors used brass, apparently coined, as a superior metal, as more advanced nations used gold; and also iron rings for money, examined and reduced to a certain weight. Rude coins of copper, much mingled with tin, are frequently found in England, and are perhaps the copper coins used by our forefathers in the days of old. We have many coins of Cunobeline who was king of the Trinobantes, and was educated at Rome, at the court of Augustus. These coins of Cunobeline are the only ones apparently ancient British. Most of them have fall of the Roman empire in the West, likewise use the Roman language in their coinage. They most commonly occur in the size of medals, termed small brass. Many coins also occur with legends, which though meant for Latin characters, and in imitation of Latin coins, are so perverted as to be illegible: such are, in general, termed barbarous medals. After the dissolution of the Roman empire, a species of coins termed bracteates, was circulated in the newly formed European states. These were, as the name implies, plated coins, and belong properly to the middle ages, or what we have termed in this essay, the commencement of modern numismatics. Before quitting the subject of ancient medals, we must notice some of a remarkable character, which have been introduced into this paper. One of these was struck by the Senate in honour of Hadrian, the Roman emperor, about 130 A.D., in commemoration of the great benefits, which he had conferred on the empire. This medal is given at p. 86, and has for its legend-"To the Restorer of the world." Constantine the Great was the first Roman Emperor who received the rite of baptism. This was performed for him just before his death, which took place, A.D. 337. One of the coins struck upon this occasion, is given below: it represents on the obverse the emperor in his robes, crowned with a wreath of laurel, with the legend, "The Emperor Constantine, Pious, Happy, August." On the reverse is a full length figure of him, cloaked, holding in his right hand a globe, and in his left a rod or wand, with the legend, "To Constantine, the Pious, August, born in Baptism." The letters in the exergue are said to imply that the medal was coined at London; but this is objected to. CVNO Cunobeline-Silver. at least, CVNO on one side, with an ear of wheat, a horse, a kind of head of Janus, or some such symbol; and oftentimes CAMV, thought to be the initials of Camudolanum, the chief city of his kingdom, on the other side, with a boar and tree, and a variety of other badges. It seems that, after the arrival of the Romans in this island, the Britons imitated them, coining both gold and silver, with the images of their kings stamped on them; but when the Romans had subdued the kings of the Britons, they also suppressed their coins, and brought in their own, which were current here from the time of Claudius to that of Valentinian the Younger, about 400 A.D. There are some coins of Antoninus Pius, about A.D. 150, the reverses of which present, as we before observed, almost the same type as that which we have on our present copper coinage. All the kings of France down to Charlemagne range in this division. Liuva I., who began his reign A.D. 567, and the other kings of the Western Goths in Spain, appear upon their coins, encircled with Roman characters. Other Gothic kings, who reigned in Italy and other countries, after the MEDAL TO COMMEMORATE THE BAPTISM OF CONSTANTINE THE GREAT. Another medal struck in honour of Hadrian is given at the conclusion of this paper. Under this emperor, a rebellion against the Roman authority broke out in Judæa, headed by the famous impostor, Barchochab (Son of the Star), who set himself up for the Messiah. This war lasted three years and a half. The Jews were completely subdued, and forbidden to even enter the City of Jerusalem. They purchased with money the liberty, not of entering the holy city, but only of looking at a distance on it, and going to mourn its fall and desolation. On the reverse of this medal is represented Judæa, kneeling in submission to the emperor, and three children imploring mercy of him. In another Supplement, we shall enter upon MODERN Coins and Medals, and continue the subject down to the present time. |