An Essay on Medals: Or, An Introduction to the Knowledge of Ancient and Modern Coins and Medals; Especially Those of Greece, Rome, and BritainT. Cadell and W. Davies, 1808 - 448 pages |
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Common terms and phrases
Aegina Aegium æra afterward Alexander Severus ancient coins antiquity Antoninus Pius appears ases assaria Athens Attic Augustus aurei aureus bear beautiful brass coins bust caduceus Cæsar called century Christ cities Claudius coinage colony Commodus common commonly Constantine consular coins copper Corinthian brass darics deities denarius didrachm Diocletian drachma dupondius Elagabalus emperors Etruscan Gallienus gold coins grains Grecian Greece Greek coins Hadrian half an ounce head Hunter's cabinet imperial coins inscription Jobert Julius Julius Cæsar king known large brass Latin latter legend likewise Macedon mark medallions medallists mentioned metal milliarensis Nero Nummi obolus observed obverse occur perhaps Persian pieces Plate Pliny portrait pound prince quinarii quinarius reader reign reverse Roman coins Rome says seems semissis sestertius Sicilian Sicily silver coins silver denarii small brass solidus sometimes struck supposed symbols talent temple tion Valerian Victory weight workmanship worth
Popular passages
Page 45 - The medal, faithful to its charge of fame, Through climes and ages bears each form and name : In one short view, subjected to our eye, Gods, emperors, heroes, sages, beauties, lie.
Page xviii - ... and contain, judicious and learned explanations of the plates, which are executed with great exactness and beauty. It is to Pellerin that we are indebted for the first plates of medals perfectly representing the originals in every flaw and irregularity of edge and impression, which is a most capital improvement, and makes the view of such plates almost equal to the coins themselves.
Page 351 - ... the existence of a city, or of any extensive villa, but rather to stations occupied for military purposes, and these are shown to have been numerous and well chosen, both for defence and for facility of communication with each other. Upon this subject, Pinkerton, in his Essay on Medals, remarks, "It was no doubt a custom with that people, in every instance ardently desirous of fame, to bury parcels of coin as a monument of their having as it were taken possession of the ground," leaving behind...
Page 147 - Hence in the imperial times, it did not mean a coin of double the weight of the as, but of double the value.
Page 18 - By them alone he was enabled to ascertain, in a very great degree, the chronology and progress of events of three of the most important kingdoms of the ancient world, namely, those of Egypt, of Syria, and of Parthia*.
Page 3 - Roman medals •f that period; and the latter from who tells us that Augustus used, on solemn occasions, to present his friends with medals of foreign states and princes, along with other the most valuable testimonies of his love*.
Page 334 - Britain is remarkable; more than twenty having been struck at various times, while those personifying Italy, Gaul, Spain, and other regions of the empire, exceed not four or six at most for each country. Only one country...
Page 323 - These have also been denominated " coins of families," and are arranged according to the names inscribed on them. The brass consular coins are rather uninteresting, consisting chiefly of large, unwieldy pieces, with types of insipid similarity. Few of them have any imagery or symbol.
Page 203 - ... colour, with as fine effect as a variegated silk or gem. In a few instances a rust of deeper green is found ; and it is sometimes spotted with the red or bronze shade, which gives it quite the appearance of the East Indian stone called blood-stone.