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This Week in History
The Battle of Gaugamela, October 1, 331 BC.
The Battle of Gaugamela took place on October 1, 331 BC, and marked the decisive confrontation between Alexander the Great of Macedon and King Darius III of Persia. Following this victory, Alexander became the ruler of Asia. Prelude to Gaugamela After the assassination of his father, Philip II, in 336 BC, Alexander the Great left Macedonia to conquer Persia. Throughout his campaign, King Darius III and his generals consistently underestimated the young Macedonian, viewing him as nothin
The Grito de Lares, September 23, 1868.
The Grito de Lares (Cry of Lares) was the first of two brief uprisings against Spanish rule in Puerto Rico. Organised by the Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico, it took place on September 23, 1868, in the town of Lares. Rising Tensions: The Road to Rebellion In the 1860s, Spain was entangled in various conflicts across Latin America, including a war with Peru and Chile, while also dealing with slave revolts in Cuba. During this time, both Puerto Rico and Cuba faced a severe econom
Philip III of Spain Orders the Expulsion of the Moriscos, September 22, 1609.
From 1609 to 1614, the Spanish Crown issued a series of decrees to expel the Moriscos, who were descendants of Spain’s Muslim population who had been forcibly converted to Christianity. Background In various parts of Spain, tensions between the Moriscos, descendants of Spain’s Muslim population who had converted to Christianity, and Old Christians, those of non-Moorish descent, arose. Old Christians often doubted the sincerity of Morisco conversions, suspecting them of secretly practi
Composer George Frideric Handel completed Messiah, September 14, 1741.
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) was a Baroque composer originally from Germany who later became a naturalised English citizen. He is best known for his works such as Messiah, Water Music, and his contributions to Baroque Italian operas and English oratorios. Handel George Frideric Handel was born on February 23, 1685, in Halle, Germany. Initially, his parents did not encourage his musical pursuits, and his formal education focused on law. He enrolled at the University of Halle in 17
The Battle of Actium, September 2, 31 BC.
The Battle of Actium, fought on 2 September 31 BC in the Ionian Sea near Actium, was the decisive conflict of the civil war between Octavian Caesar (later known as Augustus) and the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII of Egypt. This battle marked the end of over a decade of rivalry between Octavian and Antony, which began after the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC. Background In 60 BC, Julius Caesar, Marcus Licinius Crassus, and Pompey the Great formed the First Tr
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Weekly Highlights
Experiments In Greek Minting Technique
Ancient coins. The following is a scan of the article by D. G. Sellwood in the 1963 edition of The Numismatic Chronicle. The two sample coins and publication were sold on VAuctions in September, 2016: http://www.vauctions.com/ViewArchiveItem.asp?id=32953 Lot 698. [Miscellaneous]. Lot of two modern trial strikes by David Sellwood using experimental minting techniques. Includes: AR ‘tetradrachm’. Grape bunch / Side view of triple-crested Corinthian helmet right within incuse square // A
Earliest Coinage
The practice of using coins as a medium of trade began during the Iron Age in the 7th and 6th Centuries BC, in Greece, Anatolia, India and China. Coins proved to be an efficient vehicle of exchange not only locally, but between different areas, since the coins were small and contained intrinsic value due to their composition of silver and gold. Trade obviously existed for millennia before the practice of stamping an image on a piece of metal, but once the concept of the Lydians began to spread,
Coin Hoards
With all of the attention over the past number of years with provenance on coins to curtail illegal digging and trafficking, along with issues of importing, dealers are trying harder to add as much as they can about a coin’s history of ownership. One of the best and most interesting pieces of provenance is when a coin comes to market that is part of a documented hoard. Not only do you get to own a piece of history with Coin Hoards, you also get to know exactly where it was found after being hidd
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The Celator
