Uploaded January 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Each Greek and Roman coin is a window into ancient history. This video uses a selection of especially intriguing coins to explore how numismatic evidence illuminates the classical world.

I'd like to thank Aaron Berk of Harlan J Berk Ltd. for sharing his coins and expertise. You can find his ancient coin podcast here on YouTube:
youtube.com/channel/UCSk89CgWpTqEYS_EjZZjv1w/videos

I'd also like to thank Classical Numismatics for their generous assistance. You can find their channel here:
youtube.com/c/classicalnumismatics

Please consider supporting toldinstone on Patreon:
patreon.com/toldinstone

If you liked this video, you might also enjoy my book “Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants: Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks and Romans.”

amazon.com/Naked-Statues-Fat-Gladiators-Elephants/dp/1633887022

If you're so inclined, you can follow me elsewhere on the web:
reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/profiles/toldinstone
instagram.com/toldinstone
goodreads.com/author/show/20993845.Garrett_Ryan

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:07 Early Greek coins
1:34 Athenian Tetradrachm
2:54 Dekadrachm of Syracuse
5:07 The Knossos Labyrinth coin
6:52 Stater of Alexander the Great
7:51 Early Roman coins
8:39 Denarius of Julius Caesar
9:54 The Julian Star denarius
10:59 Roman imperial coinage
11:38 Sestertius of Nero
13:02 Two aurei of Trajan
15:16 Denarius of Marcus Aurelius
16:52 Solidus of Theodosius II
18:14 Postscript

Thanks for watching!