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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 2602744, member: 19463&quot;]This is not a book review because I am not as huge a fan of Roman Republicans as&nbsp; so many of the CT family so my opinions would certainly run afoul somewhere along the way.&nbsp; What I would like is to start a discussion of these books and hear what those of you who do love the Republic think about them.&nbsp; I know there are some who can not accept any theory that goes against Crawford and Harlan do that here and there.&nbsp; Usually I see his opinions as well supported but, again, I have not studied what has come to light since Crawford to a point that I am entitled to a opinion.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]568398[/ATTACH]</p><p>For those perhaps less experienced in Roman Republicans than I:</p><p><br /></p><p>Michael Harlan has two volumes <b>Roman Republican Moneyers and their Coins</b> each covering a period of interest in the 1st century BC.&nbsp; The first (1995) volume covered the more recent period (63-49 BC) and was updated in 2015 making it both the first and the most recent with the earlier (81-64 BC) published in 2012 between the two.&nbsp; I have not seen the original edition of the later book.&nbsp; Don&#039;t pay extra for the old version; buy the 2015 one.</p><p><br /></p><p>The books address the subject reviewing the issues of a moneyer in a chapter covering his single or multiple issues.&nbsp; There is a lot of material that will help beginners understand the offices held that involved issuing coins and why some of our coins are more linked to history than others.&nbsp; For example there are two chapters in the 63-49 book explaining on of our Coin Talk favorites (based on the number of us that own one) issued in 58 BC jointly by Marcus Aemilius Scaurus and Publius Plautius Hypsanus.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]568426[/ATTACH]</p><p>It takes two chapters since each side of the coin was the responsibility of a different moneyer (in this case Curile Aedile) both of whom are fine examples of wealthy Republicans for whom I can not manage the least sympathy for how things turned out.&nbsp; If you are one who regards the Republic as a prime example of how governments should be run, you might not want to know the whole stories here.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another interesting section covers the popular Caesar issue with elephant trampling a snake. If you believe the elephant represents Caesar, you might want to read Harlan (also in the 63-49 volume) and see if you are convinced.</p><p><br /></p><p>I ask, then, that you Republican specialists post your thoughts on these books.&nbsp; Those who have not read them, should.&nbsp; Whether you agree with every detail in every chapter is not important; a student of the period covered needs to read and understand this material.&nbsp; Those of you who are looking for heroes to worship might find them scattered in the Republican period just as you can in the Imperial days.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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