0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
From A New Collector, 2008-10-24
While this book is a nice piece of history and a wonderful overview of Roman Provincial coins it definitely NOT a book to look to enable you to identify any coins you may acquire of this type. The best I can advise to do is get the book and then seek out other sources (well documented in the
book) and use them to attribute those coins in your possession. Make no mistake, I believe the book is good and a beginning to ones library. To identify any portion of Provincial coins in a volume of this size is just not possible. Buy the book if you are just starting as it will give you a good start on their history.
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
By Far My Favorite In The Series, 2001-01-29
The study of Roman Provincial coinage is one that needs greater attention now than ever before. With the combined factors of the fall of Soviet Communism, the advent of the Internet and it's various auction sites - these coins are becoming plentiful and an inexpensive overview was sorely needed and Mr. Sayles book fits the niche well. While it is not comprehensive, it is an excellent starting place. For the person who is thinking of collecting Roman Provincial coins or who has started already and feels themselves a bit overwhelmed with choices, this book might help them find some direction and focus.Like all the other books prior to it, it is about 200 pages in length and it has over 300 coin photos. The print is easy on the eyes and the layout over all is well executed and there is a bibliography within most of the chapters and an index in the back of the book as well as a glossary.
The first two chapters describe provincial coinage itself and the provincial territory in general. The third chapter is the longest part of the book (100 pages) is "A Tour Of The Provinces" and takes the reader through the western provinces, the Balkans and Greece, Asia Minor and Mesopotamia, the Levant, Roman Egypt (it is notable here that Kerry Wetterstrom the current publisher & editor of the Celator - formerly Mr. Sayles publication who is a well known collector of the coins of Roman Egypt wrote this section) & North Africa.
The fourth chapter covers some interesting portraits and "client kings" - often the puppet monarchies of the Roman Empire. The 5th chapter is on understanding provincial coinage and the sixth is on deciphering them - attributing them. Make no mistake though, this book makes no intention of being an attribution catalogue/reference work. Rather, chapter six is sort of a guide for the user who has a "coin in hand" that they are trying to decipher.
Chapter seven is on iconography, items like portraits, temples, astrological symbols and other things common to the series. The eighth and final chapter is like several of it's predecessors in the series, a number of "Masterpieces" of Roman Provincial coins - a sort of gallery of the finest types you may come across.
As a collector of Roman-Syrian and Roman-Egyptian coins as well as some other types, I found the book very satisfying and it is my favorite of the whole series. This book put into the hands of young and old readers alike is sure to inspire a fair amount of daydreaming. I would highly recommend this book to the lover of ancient art as well as the numismatist, it is just as beautiful as it is an informative work.
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
Finally, a book of basics for a confusing area., 2000-12-02
I recently purchased a copy of this book on the strength of other volumes in the series. I was happily surprised to find explanations to many of the questions on Roman Provincial coins (Greek Imperial Coins) that I had not been able to find elsewhere. If you are looking for an excellent introductory volume to this area of ancient numismatics, I can't think of a better place to start. You will want to keep the volume right at hand when you examine your coins, and will enjoy reading it from cover to cover as well. Highly recommended.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
A great book for any collector., 1999-04-30
If you are a starting collector of ancient coins, or even a seasoned pro, this series is a must for your library. Mr. Sayles does a wonderful job of covering a vast subject in a concise and interesting way. Highly recommended!!