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

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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 (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #110,250 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 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 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)

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.