Ancient Coin Collecting V: The Romaion/Byzantine Culture (v. 5) [Hardcover]

Wayne G. Sayles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1998

The Romaioi, Greek citizens of the Roman East, stood squarely in the path of Islamic expansion and saved Europe from being overrun by powerful tribes from the Easy. Their coinage reveals a society with strong religious undercurrents and divergent philosophies, but plagued by political and financial crises.

Ancient Coin Collecting V: The Romaion/Byzantine Culture explores the history and art of a culture that survived for nearly 1,000 years. Through the timeless record of coins you'll learn what happened after the Fall of Rome, witness the sacking of Constantinople by marauding Crusaders, and experience the empire's last days under Constantine XI.

This volume is the perfect introduction to the fascinating hobby of collecting ancient coins. Author Wayne G. Sayles entertains, educates and inspires beginning and expert collectors alike, drawing on more than 30 years of experience in studying and collecting coins from antiquity. Special features include:

• 
  
  
  
  More than 300 photos, including an illustrated guide to the Emperors of Byzantium
• 
  
  
  
  A guide to coin attribution, along with denomination, dating and mint information
• 
  
  
  
  Powerful reference tools, including comprehensive index, bibliography and glossary

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Krause Publications (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873416376
• ISBN-13: 978-0873416375
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,023,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Wayne Gerald Sayles was born on March 8, 1943 at Waukesha, Wisconsin to Wayne F. Sayles and Betty J. Harris. He attended Catholic schools through 8th grade when the family moved to Horicon, Wisconsin. Wayne graduated from Horicon High School in 1961. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force that same summer and was trained in Communications-Electronics Maintenance at Keesler AFB, MS. His tours as an electronics technician included assignments to Gander, Newfoundland; Fort Bragg, NC; McCoy AFB, FL; Incirlik AB, Turkey and McClellan AFB, CA. In 1971, Wayne was accepted into the Commissioning Bootstrap Program and attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in History. He received a commission in the USAF through Officer's Training School in May 1972. Assignments as a Communications Officer included Squadron Commander at Goodfellow AFB, TX; Group Detachment Commander at Levkas, Greece; Air Force Advisor to the Air National Guard and USAF Reserve Forces; and Team Chief for Operational Readiness and Management Effectiveness Inspections conducted by the Air Force Communications Command, Military Airlift Command and Strategic Air Command Inspector General teams. In addition to multiple awards of the Meritorious Service Medal and other decorations, Wayne was presented with the coveted "Minuteman" award for his service as advisor to the Air National Guard. He retired from the Air Force as a Captain in 1982, having traveled to more than 40 countries and all 50 States. He is a Life Member of the Military Officer's Association of America, a member of the Ninth Air Force Association and has been a member of several different VFW and American Legion posts.

Wayne earned a Masters degree in Art History at the University of Wisconsin in 1986 and that same year founded The Celator -- a monthly journal about ancient coins (still the premier periodical in its field today). He co-authored Turkoman Figural Bronze Coins and Their Iconography (2 vols.); wrote the six volume series Ancient Coin Collecting (3 are in expanded 2nd ed.); the monograph Classical Deception; and the exhibition catalogue of the Ned H. and Gloria A. Griner Greek and Roman Coin Collection at Ball State University. He wrote the "Coin Collecting" article for Encyclopaedia Britannica and most recently the biography of William Edward Cramsie titled First to Fall. Wayne has also published several titles by other authors under his own banner of "Clio's Cabinet". He is a Life Fellow of the American Numismatic Society; Fellow of the Royal Numismatic Society (London, England); Life Member of the Hellenic Numismatic Society (Athens, Greece); Life Member of the American Israel Numismatic Society; member of the American Numismatic Association and the Numismatic Literary Guild, and an honorary member of several coin clubs in various states. He is the founder and Executive Director of the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild and was honored by that organization's Board of Directors in 2006 with a special award for "Exceptional Contributions to Ancient Numismatics." Wayne has lectured extensively at national conventions, symposia, seminars and club meetings, written more than 200 articles about ancient coinage, and has been honored with numerous Numismatic Literary Guild awards. He has twice presented testimony before the U.S. State Department's Cultural Property Advisory Committee in Washington, DC. He continues to write a monthly column in The Celator and maintains two personal blogs on the internet. He is a recipient of the prestigious "Numismatic Ambassador" award from Krause Publications, and was selected by KP in 2007 as one of the 55 "Most Intriguing People in Numismatics". He has been a biographee in Marquis, Who's Who in America and in Who's Who in the World, for the past several years.

Wayne's service to the community includes terms on the Boards of Education of American Community Schools, Athens Greece and the Lodi School District in Lodi, WI where he was elected Vice President. He has coached several youth football, baseball and basketball teams while in the military and as a member of Optimists International. He also has served as a judge for debate and forensic competitions at high school level and as chaperone for the Amery High School (WI) Ski Club. He is the founder and webmaster of the 416th Bomb Group (WWII) memorial site at http://416th.com . He enjoys camping and sailing, is an amateur genealogist and is a member of Trout Unlimited.

With more than 50 years combined experience in the field of ancient numismatics, Wayne and John C. Lavender operate two retail storefronts on the popular Vcoins site -- one specializing in ancient coins and the other in books about coins and the ancient world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Empires Just Fade Away, April 26, 2000

By 

Donald A. McAfee (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ancient Coin Collecting V: The Romaion/Byzantine Culture (v. 5) (Hardcover)

This review is written from the perspective of the amateur collector on a limited budget. It has been said that collecting ancient coins was the "hobby of Kings". It might also be said that reference books on this subject can only be afforded by Kings, and are certainly less affordable than the coins. Not so with the readable series by Wayne Salyes, past editor of the premier journal on ancient coins, The Celetor. Number five (better to write V) in the series focuses on coins minted by the Roman empire during its long slide into oblivian. Constantinople also called Byzantium, and now called Istanbul, was the capital of the Empire and the center of Christianity from its founding by Constantine the Great in the 4th century to its final demise in the 15th century when the city fell to Mehmet the (Turkish) Conquerer in 1453. Most of us think of Rome as the capital of the Roman Empire but the Eastern half of the empire, while not so glorius, lived a 1000 years longer. Coinage usually reflects the culture, and this is clearly illustrated in Sayles' presentation. It is filled with numerous figures of coins, maps, and geniology. While all of his volumes are usually regarded as "introductory" and for the "new collector" to distinguish them from the comprehensive catalogues used to attribute coins, this particular volume has been particularly useful to me as an affordable attribution reference. It is fascinating to see how the coinage changed from images of emperor and soldiers to images of Christ and crosses. This is a superb addition to the series, fills a gap in the literature, and whets my appitite for volume VI.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and Clear - An Excellent Resource, September 29, 2005

By 

Mark D. Merlino (Vancouver, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ancient Coin Collecting V: The Romaion/Byzantine Culture (v. 5) (Hardcover)

Wayne Sayles has created a masterpiece with his "Ancient Coin Collecting V - The Romaion/Byzantine Culture." This book is a great resource, it introduces all of the main themes in Byzantine coinage and directs the reader where to look to find out more.

This book goes at length to describe the denomination of Byzantine coins, the meanings of the markings, and has an article for each emperors and claimants to the throne, from 491-1453. At least every page has at least one black and white photo, many genealogies, excellent bibliographies and much more.

This is an excellent resource for anyone interested in Byzantine coins. This book is also offers are remarkably lucid description of the narrative of Byzantine history. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Often The Only Thing Left Of A Civilization Is Its Coins, March 9, 2010

By 

Mary S. Spangler (Schaumburg, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ancient Coin Collecting V: The Romaion/Byzantine Culture (v. 5) (Hardcover)

Great book that tells of history of each coin and includes masterpieces of the subject period.