Moneta: A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins

by Gareth Harney

The extraordinary story of Rome, the ancient world's greatest superpower, as told through mankind's most ordinary the coin.

When Gareth Harney was first handed a Roman coin by his father as a child, he became by its beauty, its hardiness and its power to tell stories and connect us with the ancient past. He realised that coins, more than being simply markers of exchange, are metal canvases upon which societies could immortalise their ideas, cultures, personalities, tragedies and triumphs. His small tarnished coin, then, actually told the epic story of Rome.

From a few huts on an Italian hilltop to an all-conquering empire spanning three continents, Heads or Tails traces the dramatic rise and fall of the Romans through the fascinating lives of twelve remarkable coins. Through them we witness Caesar's assassination, experience everyday life in the heart of the city, journey into the Colosseum and meet the barbarians at the gate.

This is the glory, and infamy, of ancient Rome in the palm of your hand.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Classics, Roman, Historical, Archaeology

364 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have finally found it. I have found a book with the title, "A History of (blank) in 12 (blanks)." There seems to be a lot of them and up until now, I always felt they were very forced and bounced around so much that it made my head spin.

Not so with Gareth Harney's A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins. Why coins? Harney is very into coins. Also, using coins when telling the story of Rome actually makes sense. These coins were.....uh, coined... at the major moments of the Roman Empire. It helps that Harney has an easy prose which makes this accessible to any audience and his 12 coin choices are inspired. It means the reader gets the best stories.

I will say that the stories are very high level. A huge Roman history nerd is probably not going to find anything very new here other than the coins which can at times feel like an afterthought. I'd say this book works best for someone who is not steeped in this time period but wants to learn a bit about it.

(This book was provided as a review copy by Atria Books.)

[M.J. Pankey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A excellent overview of the Roman Empire from literal cradle to grave through the lens of its coinage throughout the ages.

I can't say that the Roman Empire has ever even remotely been my "Roman Empire". That title belongs solely to ancient Greece. But I'm never one to shy away from learning more ancient history, especially when it's presented in novel and interesting ways.

The title of this book caught my attention and I was not in the least disappointed. I was immediately riveted by the author's easy prose, passion for the subject (Rome and Roman coins), and intelligent discourse surrounding each image and the history it signified. I could not put this down.

I've come away from reading this book not only more knowledgeable about Rome, but with a newfound respect and admiration for coin collecting and a strong desire to read Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.

This would be a fantastic book to include in any highschool curriculum. Harney presents Rome's timeline in manageable, readable chunks, highlighting the most influential emperors, conflicts, decisive battles, politics, and economic challenges faced throughout its long tenure. There are loads of opportunities in every chapter to dive deeper into discussion to enrich and challenge younger audiences to think critically and ponder lessons the ancient world can teach us in our modern era.

I will be acquiring this book for my personal library. It's absolutely fantastic.

[Michelle’s Book Quest · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I would recommend this book to any history buff, especially those with a passion for Ancient Rome. Although the book is quite engaging, I think it’s best appreciated if you have a good background in Roman history. I’ve only had a decent intro to Rome through studying Latin in high school; unfortunately, I’ve retained very little from those days. While reading, I often found myself wishing I could connect more deeply with the material by recalling information I felt I should have known. Having said that, if you or someone you know loves history and Ancient Rome, this book will absolutely fascinate them.

I loved the heart and soul that went into this book! The author has been a coin collector since he was a young boy. It was interesting to see the role coins play in understanding history, and I almost wanted to start collecting coins myself after a few chapters!

I also really enjoyed how the author would tie in the history of the coin makers, whether they were free or enslaved people, what wars and land disputes were happening at the time, and how the coins represented people’s faiths and rulers.

Favorite quote: “[Coins] are the only handcrafted pieces of ancient art freely collected by enthusiasts of all backgrounds across the world.”

Overall, this book is a testament to how something as small as a coin can carry the weight of history. Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Timothy Grubbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slightly misleading title but highly informative…

Moneta: A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins by Gareth Harney covers the major periods of Roman history (both the republic and the empire)…and some of its currency.

First, while this book is broken up into twelve chapters with each represented by a coin (usually tied to either the emperor or ruling body at the time…along with a suitable divinity or other symbol), each chapter also includes pics of other coins and their commentary from the Roman period. Usually these are included for historical context related to that chapter so it’s at least relevent.

Dealing with the legendary, military, and economic history of Rome from Romulus and Remus to the Punic Wars to Caesar’s rise to the second triumvirate and to the rise of the emperor and beyond…the book goes into some nice territory…wrapping up with the fall of Rome.

While a majority of the book is the history of Rome, it makes sure to comment on the fineness (purity) of Roman coins at the time, economic issues, wars of conquest and expansions, and other items of interest (special shoutout to its coverage of the colosseum and its post-Roman empire fate).

It could be a little dry at times, but overall enjoyable…

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins by Historian Gareth Harney exceeded my high expectations by educating me so much more not only about ancient Roman coins but what life was like in the era from emperors and their personalities and policies to social classes to monuments to the sack of Rome by the Goths. As a regular visitor to Rome, my knowledge just grew dramatically and my eyes have opened to new-to-me details. But the far-reaching empire included so much more than "just" Rome and other areas are discussed as well such as Romania, Brittania and the Balkans. I like that the author stressed the importance of coins connecting us to our past and the invention of coins for financial exchange. I could imagine myself handling each coin in wonder, imagining the hundreds of people who may have done the same many centuries ago. The detail in the coins is incredible such as elephants, Trajan's column (one of the most mind-boggling feats in my view), slicked-back hair of the anonymous Gaul, daggers, the Colosseum and praetorian fortress. Amongst the hundreds of things which increased my knowledge base include striking and "brockage", the first coin struck under the name "of the Romans", the first denarius of Julius Caesar, ambitious families, dictators using their portrait on coins while still living, the times of Pax Romana and of war, "Little Boots" Caligula as a child, attempts to erase Sejanus from history, the poignant elephant story and the "Boudiccan Destruction Horizon". I also thought more about numismatics more than ever before. A dream of mine is to find a Roman coin cache in my garden in the Balkans! The author explains the accessibility of ancient coins, coins as an art form, the stories they tell us about what was important, their durability and massive war bounty. It is impossible to fathom what 225 tons of gold and 450 tons of silver must look like!

Written in twelve chapters, one detailing each coin on both sides (plus more!), this book is a treasure chock full of fascinating facts, photographs of lesser-known coins and monuments I hadn't heard of before (as well as many better-known ones). I live part time in the Balkans and one of my favourite pastimes is immersing myself in archaeological museums and Roman sites. The author brought fresh life to the people and events through coins and I am grateful to him for sharing his passion for history and coins from his collection his father introduced him to when he was a child. What a legacy!

Whether you are keen to learn more as a beginner or as an expert, this books is unmissable. It filled in many gaps in my mind, gave me goosebumps, increased my thirst to learn more, and caused many lightbulb moments. I absolutely loved this book!

My sincere thank you to Atria Books for providing me with an early digital review copy via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Miriam Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweeping history of Rome and the Roman Empire from its earliest days with the landing of Aeneas and family who fled Troy for Italy to its downfall in 500CE, the author recounts all through coins and stories.

A mix of mythology, history, and numismatics, you'll learn more than you ever wanted to know about the rise and fall of Rome. Each episode / chapter includes detailed descriptions of a coin of the realm, its imagery / iconography and significance (even unto today).

The narrator for this sweeping history will suck you in and leave you yearning for more. I wish the audiobook included a PDF of the images of coins and maps.
For more on the performance, see AudioFile Magazine http://www.audiofilemagazine.com

[Gemma Waddell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, fascinating and very accessible history of the ancient Roman empire, told with reference to some of the beautiful and meaningful coins. I've read a lot of books about ancient Rome and this one is excellent. Very readable with some interesting facts that I was unaware of. It provides a compelling insight into the coinage of the world's greatest empire and some of its chief protagonists. It has inspired me to try and track down some coins of my own! Clearly a labour of love, very well researched and a thoroughly enjoyable read. Particularly enjoyed reading it while on holiday in Italy, seemed appropriate!

[Michael Hays · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to start by saying thank you to Goodreads, the publishers, author and anybody else involved in the giveaway where I won my free copy of this book. I was very happy to win it and I’m very glad I finally got a chance to read it.

This was a very well put together book that was easy to follow from start to finish. I thought it was a fascinating way to present the history of the Roman empire and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

[ReadThisAndSteep · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am intrigued by ancient history, and this was such an interesting read. Engaging and well-researched, this book uses coinage to trace the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. It provides historical context for each coin, and also explores how coins were the early form of political propaganda as they were made to commemorate milestones, and were the "media" of the time. And while it is educational and rich in detail, the history comes to life in a vivid way, and the book is facinating. There's a bit of mythology mixed in too. Each coin is shown and details about why each one is special are delved into. It's also easy to read just a chapter at a time, which is what I did over the past few weeks. One of my favorite chapters was about the Ides of March silver denarius commissioned by Brutus, one of Julius Caesar's assassins, around 42 BCE and how the coin depicted the assasin's claims they had liberated the republic from Caesar.

Thank you to Atria Books for the gifted review copy

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up!

A very entertaining and thorough look at a large swath of history. My only complaint is that occasionally Harney leans into some of the more sensationalist records of events, presenting them as fact instead of possibilities- while usually these are given an endnote, I did catch a few that were presented without comment, and I'm sure there were ones that I missed.

Having said that, I highly recommend this for people who want to learn about Rome but are intimidated by more in-depth scholarly works.

[Deity World · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a read not only about the Roman coins but also deep history involved as well very well researched a must read

[LPosse1 Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gareth Harney’s A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins is a wonderful and refreshing read that masterfully blends numismatics with Roman history. Framed around twelve carefully selected coins, the book guides readers through the vast and complex narrative of Rome—from Republic to Empire—by focusing on tangible artifacts that bring history to life.

Each coin serves not just as a historical object, but as a narrative device, unlocking key moments in Roman history and offering insight into the politics, personalities, and propaganda of the time. Harney’s writing is engaging and accessible, yet rich with scholarly depth—a rare and welcome balance.

What makes this book particularly impactful is its educational power. As a lifelong educator, I deeply value learning experiences that foster lasting connections, and this book achieves exactly that. By anchoring history in physical artifacts, Harney provides readers with touchpoints that are memorable and meaningful—an approach that aligns beautifully with how we best learn and retain knowledge.

On a personal level, I’ve been collecting U.S. coins for decades, and this book has become an invaluable resource as I begin to explore the fascinating world of ancient numismatics. Harney’s insights not only deepen historical understanding but also elevate the appreciation of coins as storytelling tools. His passion for the subject is clear on every page.

Visually, the inclusion of coin images enhances the experience, allowing readers to see the detail and symbolism that these small objects carried across centuries. And importantly, Harney doesn’t shy away from the complexities and darker realities of Roman rule—providing a nuanced view that avoids romanticizing the past.


A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins is more than a history book—it’s a bridge between collecting and learning, past and present. Whether you’re a student of history, a seasoned educator, or a numismatist expanding into the ancient world, this book is an exceptional historical resource.
FYI- I’ve recently purchased my first two Ancient Roman coins. Both from the republic era. This book is gonna coat me!!! If you enjoy Roman history but don’t care much about numismatics, you will still find a lot to enjoy in this entertaining text.

[Frank Hermens · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A neat and compact overview of 800 years of Roman Rule, roughly from 400 BC to 400 AD. All the major events get a few pages and I actually learned a lot.
If you want an in-depth and detailed account you’d better look on.

[Sage Bray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so fun to read. Although it may have ignited my interest in collecting ancient coins, which my wallet won't be happy about.

[Carlos Rangel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly one of most delightful books l’ve read in 2025. It fills the reader with nostalgia in understanding Ancient Rome’s through its coinage.

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of ancient Rome is so interesting...and so confusing! But, Gareth Harney attacks it from a different and intriguing approach. I never knew that the ancient Roman's minted their own currency (coins) over several hundreds of years, and these coins reflected the current state of affairs of the Empire. By distributing these timely coins, the Roman populace from Brittania to the Middle East would know who the current Emporer was, what was latest military victory, or even when religion was gradually converting from paganism to Christianity. This book covers the origin, the rise, and the fall of the Empire as it was reflected the gold, silver, and bronze currency. It has peaked my interest in maybe securing my own small collection of these ancient coins, as they rather abundant, and thus pretty affordable. I must admit that the last 20% of the book got a little tedious (and thus the 4 stars instead of 5), but I definitely would recommend it for anyone who has an interest in this time period or just a nusimatic in ancient currency.

[Ricco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een vlotlezende geschiedenis van het Romeinse rijk met een invalshoek van Romeinse munten. Wel vond ik dat in het eerste helft van het boek de munten eerder een bijrol hadden, later (vanaf Marcus Aurelius) kwamen de munten iets meer naar voren, maar toch had ik er graag meer willen zien! Ook zal ik dit boek aanraden aan mensen die nog niet heel veel kennis over het Romeinse rijk hebben, er wordt vaak toch gekozen voor het standaard narrative. Kortom, een lekker weglezend boek, maar had graag iets meer diepgang willen hebben omtrent de Romeinse munten. (3,5/5 sterren)

[Chris Vanasse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this wonderful book!

Let me start by saying that my knowledge of coins and coin collecting begins and ends with shows like “Pawn Stars” and “American Pickers”, and other random television shows. I have no real prior knowledge of the ancient Roman Empire either. This book had me hooked from the beginning. I’ve never given much thought to how important coins were. Nowadays, we mostly find them annoying, but as Harney points out in this book, coins were how people were able to see what their rulers looked like, and also what had been going on hundreds, or even thousands of miles from where they lived.

There’s 12 chapters in this book. Each chapter focuses on a specific coin, and the history of that time period is told based around that specific coin. Harney has a background in both history, and coin collecting, so he is perfect for writing this book. I can’t recommend this enough! Check it out as soon as you can!

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book in return for a review.

This book is a history of Rome, the monarchy, democracy, empire, and return to monarchy after the fall. It begins with the mythical founding by Romulus and Remus, continues through several of the most important rulers and ends with the boy emperor, Romulus Augustus, in his retirement after being forcibly retired. Along the way, the author describes coins issued by certain rulers and how their styles changed over the centuries. I first became interested in Roman history following the PBS broadcast in the 1970's of the series I, Claudius. That led me to read the book by Graves, along with the sequel Claudius the God. Then I went on to read Tacitus and Suetonius. This gave me a good understanding of the early empire, up to Nero. This book goes much further, with discussion of Domitian, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius and others. I found it highly interesting, and would recommend it to anyone with interest in ancient Rome.

[Sinan Pertev · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST COINS!!!!
At face value; I loved the gossip about how Octavians daughter or how the St Peters basilica was literally built on the ruins of rome or how global athmospheric pollution traceable to the roman empire is now embedded into earth.
On a more symbolistic level, i loved how a single coin and its image could tie in with Abraham Lincoln or Shakespeare or even Dante.

Maybe it was less entertaining towards the end but that might be my lack of background knowledge past Hadrian... BUT i would reccomend this book for both newcomers to Roman history (as it provides a digestible and varied synopsis of Rome while keeping you ecstatically engaged) and also people who have gone through the Historia Civilis and Tom Holland rabbit hole as it provides a fun new perspective on the whole ordeal.

[Anibal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read hundreds of books and academic journals on Ancient Rome, yet Moneta still managed to offer me something genuinely new. Telling the history of a civilization through twelve coins is, in itself, a really cool concept.

Naturally, Gareth Harney uses far more than just twelve coins throughout the book, frequently referencing and illustrating additional examples in both text and images. However, those twelve key pieces act as narrative anchors, each one launching a particular historical moment or theme that the author wishes to explore, and he does so with remarkable proficiency. Harney is, above all, a true storyteller.

Equally important is his evident love for numismatics. Coins are still among the most familiar financial tools we possess; objects everyone recognizes and uses (although, in 2025, this is rapidly changing with the rise of digital payments and wallets). Because of this, it is incredibly easy for the reader to imagine holding a Roman coin and to wonder: Who used it? What did it buy? What hands did it pass through?

This sense of shared humanity and historical empathy permeates the book. Harney consistently begins each chapter with the coin itself: explaining why it matters, why specific images were chosen, what political or religious messages they carried, and even why the silver content stood at a particular level. From there, he skilfully expands outward, moving from the micro (metallurgy, iconography, and circulation) to the macro (political power, financial policy, imperial propaganda, and social change) always showing how these forces ultimately shaped the lives of ordinary people.

Through this approach, Moneta explores a wide range of themes, including:
• The mythical foundations of Rome and the creation of collective identity
• The rise of Republican values and the militarization of citizenship
• Political propaganda and the use of coinage as mass communication
• The collapse of Republican institutions and the emergence of autocracy
• The transformation of Rome under Augustus and the invention of imperial legitimacy
• Public spectacle, urbanism, and the social contract between emperor and people
• Imperial expansion, conquest, and the economics of war
• Philosophy, duty, and leadership during the empire’s moral high point
• Monetary debasement, inflation, and the Crisis of the Third Century
• Attempts at reform and stability under the Tetrarchy
• The rise of Christian symbolism and religious transformation
• And finally, the persistence of Roman identity beyond the political fall of the Western Empire

In Moneta, coins are not merely illustrations — they are historical witnesses. Harney demonstrates, with clarity and elegance, how a few grams of metal can preserve the ambitions, fears, beliefs, and contradictions of an entire civilization.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: The History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins
Author: Gareth Harney
Narrated by: Piers Hampton
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Length: Approximately 12 hours and 07 minutes
Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster Audio. Thank-you!

Do you collect coins? I have a few coins I’ve collected through the years, although they are packed up somewhere in my basement after my last move.

The History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins by Gareth Harney was an overall view of Roman history through the years through the history of twelve different coins. It was a fascinating way to tell history. I usually read books based on one event in Roman history and I liked this unique way to tell overall Roman history. My thoughts on this book:

• I listened to this audiobook on a road trip with my seventeen-year-old son Daniel as we visited colleges he is interested in. We didn’t finish the book on our road trip, but we both finished it on our own. Daniel greatly enjoyed this book as well as I did. He loves history.

• Daniel and I looked up the coins online to see what they looked like after hearing about them on the audiobook. I am sure that you get great pictures with the physical book.

• Author Gareth Harney was first handed a Roman coin by his father as a child, and it started his love for collecting coins and Roman history. What can these coins tell us about history? What actions do we do as parents that will prompt wonder and discovery in our children?

• As an engineer, I liked the history of a huge bridge that was built across the Danube that stood for 1,000 years. I just marvel at the engineering prowess.

• I really enjoyed the story of Hannibal and the eventual destruction of Carthage. How much knowledge, literature, history was lost when Rome destroyed Carthage?

• This was a very readable book and very enjoyable.

• I liked that besides discussing the emperors, regular people such as those that made the coins, fought the wars, etc. were also discussed.

• The audiobook had a great narrator.

Overall, The History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins by Gareth Harney was an engaging nonfiction history of Rome told through the unique perspective of twelve coins that were used over the years of the empire. It was a fun audiobook for both a teen and a middle-aged mother.

This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2025...

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins is a fascinating and accessible monograph told through the lens of 12 particular/significant coins as relayed by Gareth Harney. Released in the UK in 2024, this US release is due out 14th Jan 2025 from Simon & Schuster on their Atria imprint. It's 368 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

Artifacts from history or prehistoric times have their own presence. It's compelling to hold a coin or flint knapped arrowhead or knife in our hands and impossible not to feel connected to the long ago ancestor who lived with and used these items in their daily lives. Indeed, the author's own decades long entanglement with coin collecting was started by holding an ancient Roman coin in the palm of his hand.

This is an eminently readable and engaging book, told informally but with accuracy. The author does a good job of setting each coin in its historical context, describing both the physical characteristics and a snapshot of the world of the time. It's not written in academically rigorous language, but it is well annotated throughout, and the chapter notes and recommended reading list will provide keen readers with many hours of further learning.

Five stars. Fascinating book. It's well illustrated throughout, mostly in black and white, but there are a number of color photos and illustrations of historical sites, coins, and artifacts in the back of the book.

It would make a superlative choice for public or school library acquisition, for readers who enjoy ancient history, numismatists, etc.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Anne Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great history of ancient Rome using specific coins to help break up and highlight chapters. While readers familiar with general history of ancient Rome aren't going to find anything new in the history parts, I really liked how the author connected the coins to the history. He explained the changing economics of the age, the new coins that were minted, and why certain images were put on the coins. What were emperors using coins to tell their subjects at a time when coins were a source of mass media as well as money? I'd read about one or two images used before, but it was really interesting to see how money was used over the centuries as carefully thought out messages as well as money. And how the economics and values changes as the borders of the Empire expanded and retracted. People who aren't too familiar with the history of ancient Rome will get a great overvew of it with this book.

The one thing that I didn't really like, although I know it is popular at the moment, is how Harny started each chapter with a fictional imagining of a moment, based on historical sources. His writing on purely nonfiction accounts is so lively and well done that I don't think these imaginings are necessary to help draw in the reader, but are rather a distraction.

I book I would recommend to anyone interested in ancient Roman history. Clearly well researched and very well written, with something in it for everyone to enjoy.

I received a DRC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A history of ancient Rome and its coinage, by a guy who is really into coins. Each chapter is about a particular coin and the economic, artistic, and political forces that created that coin. I was hoping that this book would help me pinpoint the time when the portraits on ancient Roman coins transitioned from high-quality to the more busted look of Byzantine coinage (e.g. Heraclius on the Solidus). I didn't really get a definitive answer, but I did learn a lot about what we know and don't know about ancient minting, the end of the Roman Republic, the Colosseum, and how much I still don't know about ancient Rome. Reading this book, it's good to keep in mind the point that David Graeber made in Debt (the First 5000 Years), that commodity money (e.g. gold coins) usually becomes important in times of instability, because in times of peace it's easier to buy and sell using credit than to lug a bunch of gold around, but in times of uncertainty, business can only be conducted with gold and silver upfront. A History of Ancient Rome in 12 Coins doesn't really say it, but it made me wonder if the Imperial conversion to Christianity was partly driven by the Emperors' need for sources of gold and silver, and the fact that pagan temples held a lot of it. As an American, it is wild to imagine living in a place where one can expect to come across truly ancient artifacts such as coins that you can just take home. The closest thing I can think of in my experience is finding obsidian arrowheads, which I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to disturb (at least on National Park land).

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book compressed the history of Ancient Rome in about 300 pages, using coins as narrative thread (rather more than 12, but who's counting?!). I found it an entertaining and insightful refresher course on the Roman history I had studied in high school. For instance, I had forgotten that for much of the Roman empire's history, the Emperors had not been born in Rome, nor even in Italy. Present-day Spain, France, Greece, Egypt, Romania - all had provided one or more emperors, some of whom spent most of their time away on military campaigns and barely set foot in Rome.

Coins commemorating the founding of Rome by the mythical wolf-raised twins, Hannibal's elephants, the assassination of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March, the construction of the Coliseum, victory over the Gauls, the Tetrarchy, Constantine's introduction of the Chi-Ro standard... it's all shown on the coins.

So for me the second benefit, apart from the history lesson, was that it made me look at ancient coins with new interest, and a new appreciation of the engraver's artistry. Fortunately my local art museum possesses several of the coins discussed in the book, and I spent an interesting half-hour staring at them in the display cases. They made history come alive for me in a much more convincing way than any re-enactment on the History channel could ever do.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has long believed that you can write the entirety of Roman history with its coins alone, this book was tailor-written for me. While I would've liked an academic treatise on the role coinage played in the politics and power struggles of the vast Roman empire, I will happily settle for what this book did deliver.

Coins are ubiquitous. And so, too, it would seem, are histories of Rome. One might argue that we don't need yet another title to add to the oversaturated genre. Yet, Harney's peculiar and quotidian subject--the coin--grants his history novelty and, surprisingly, allows it to succeed where so many histories of Rome fail (or, at the least, come up short). By narrowing the breadth of his narrative to events tied to specific coins, Harney grants himself the freedom to apply a closer lens to a number of different eras of Roman history rather than brushing over them in favor of a complete timeline. The result is that the reader comes away feeling as though they've really visited these twelve eras. Of course these visits are quick strolls as one passes through. A short book like this one doesn't provide the time for an immersive month-long stay, but it certainly provides a more relatable viewpoint than those that would have us gazing down to earth from an airplane window as we soar through time.

In Harney's book, we do not touch on every single emperor or every single tide-turning battle, rather we reflect on the daily lives of the citizens more caught up in brightening the hue of their toga and the coin in their pocket than the murder of Caesar taking place just across the way and on the frontier citizens who may have puzzled at why, so quickly, they were compelled to remint their Sejanus coins into Caligula coins (a task so monumental that its overwhelming success truly boggles the mind). You will not find such minutiae in your grand histories. As someone who appreciates this minutiae perhaps more than the broad strokes, Harney's book captures what I love so much about history--the every day goings on that flavor our understanding of the past.

[John Behle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gareth Harney's book is a fun listen. I enjoy the audiobook version. Narrator Piers Hampton brings the text to life with his voice artistry.

The coins act as the vehicle for telling the fascinating tale of Rome's far flung empire.

My favorite is the Coliseum coin from AD 80. The Coliseum was now open. Enjoy the show with a barley beer from the vendors, buy souvenir action figures of your favorite gladiators, snack on grilled chicken. Blazing sun? The crew will deploy the retractable awnings.

The centuries roll by, each coin, a metal canvas of this storied past, reveals a window into that life.

I really relating to this written/audio/history experience. Solid four star.

[Rik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. Completely and unashamedly a 'popular' history book in the truest sense. A fairly complete overview of the Roman civilisation from birth to collapse, covering a lot of ground for it's compact size. The framework of the coins to illustrate the era's could have been a gimmick but not in this book - a reasonably detailed accounting of the coins, their context, history, motifs and relevance is given and it is woven seemlessly into the history. This is a great book, i'll be handing it to anybody that mentions they want to know about the romans for the next few years. I only wish the author had selected 18 or 24 (or fuck it - 36) coins and written a much larger more detailed version!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my speed of history book - organizing around a theme like coins gives a good reason to cover a lot of history in a more lightweight way, so you can have a topic like “all of Roman history” without getting bogged down.

I enjoyed the recap of overall Roman history perhaps more than the info about coins, which was a bit interesting but gruel too thin to make a whole book out of.

Doesn’t get five stars mostly because it didn’t blow me away, and from the little I know already about this span of history, I caught a few places where he painted with a rather broad brush. Still, solid, enjoyable, would recommend. (Not as good as Salt, which is in the same category)