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New in 2017
Ancient Selfies celebrates a unique resource that few people know much about - ancient coins. Hand stamped from dies engraved by artisans more than 2,000 years ago, these ancient art miniatures opened up commerce by replacing barter and in became the world's first social media.
Ancient rulers quickly realized the power coins had to broadcast images that could shape impressions and deliver messages to their subjects and trading partners. With carefully selected images, they used their coins to convey messages of strength and power, to celebrate accomplishments and beliefs and, sometimes, to deceive. In the process, they left a record of images that let us see the ancient world as the ancients themselves saw it. This book invites you on a personal journey to the distant past, one assisted by the hand stamped coins ancient rulers issued to support their economies and convey their messages. The images on these coins say something direct about who our ancient ancestors were, how they acted, and what they did to shape the world we live in. Get a first person glimpse into a world that included Alexander the Great, Aristotle, Hannibal, Homer, Spartacus, Julius Caesar, Cicero, Brutus, Marc Antony, Cleopatra and more. It is a world that refined art and literature and built the institutional foundations that support our 21st century way of living. But it was also a world of physical hardship where even the wealthy lived without the modern conveniences we take for granted. There was no electricity or Internet. There were no combustion engines, fire arms, light bulbs, or telephones. Roads, when they existed, were aggregations of cut stones. Even necessities like soap had yet to be invented. Experience this fascinating and important world in a tangible way. Spend time with the coins our ancient predecessors left behind. Contemplate their world as they saw it. Hear their stories, celebrate their victories and learn about their values and gods. |
