Collections Timeline

The Saite dynasty restored native Egyptian rule after Assyrian occupation, inaugurating the Late Period when mass-produced faience ushabti figurines became standard grave goods.

Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead instructed the deceased to summon ushabti figures to perform manual labor in the afterlife — the ritual purpose behind figurines like this one.

Cambyses II annexed Egypt into the Achaemenid Empire. Egyptian funerary customs, including ushabti figures, continued under Persian rule.

Athens relocated the Delian League's treasury from Delos to the Acropolis, funding its navy and the owl tetradrachms that financed empire and trade.

Athens and Sparta fought for dominance of the Greek world. The war drained Athenian wealth and reshaped the politics behind the owl coinage.

Athens' defeat ended its classical owl series. The trusted silver standard lived on in later imitations across the Mediterranean.

Alexander entered Egypt without resistance and was crowned pharaoh at Memphis, ending Persian rule and opening a Hellenistic chapter in Egyptian history.

Alexander's sudden death in Babylon triggered wars among his generals and the breakup of his empire into successor kingdoms.

The Phoenician city of Arados struck Alexander-type tetradrachms under Ptolemaic control, circulating silver across the eastern Mediterranean.

Ptolemy I Soter declared himself pharaoh, founding a Greek dynasty that ruled Egypt for nearly three centuries and struck Alexander-type tetradrachms.

Successor kingdoms struck interchangeable Alexander-type tetradrachms, creating a shared silver standard across the eastern Mediterranean.

Rome introduced the denarius as its standard silver coin, a denomination that would define Roman currency for centuries of empire.

Two centuries of relative peace across the Roman Empire enabled trade, urban growth, and the wide circulation of imperial silver denarii.

Trajan expanded Rome to its greatest extent. Imperial denarii from Rome paid soldiers, funded building projects, and moved through a vast trade network.

Trajan conquered Dacia, bringing vast gold and silver wealth to Rome. Victory types on denarii celebrated the empire at its territorial peak.

A devastating pandemic swept the empire during Marcus Aurelius' reign, straining the army and economy while denarii still paid frontier troops.

Marcus Aurelius spent much of his reign fighting Germanic tribes along the Danube. Victory and security types appear on his denarii.

Constantius II fought rivals across the empire while reforming the army and coinage. Bronze folles and reduced silver circulated alongside gold solidi.

Julian succeeded Constantius II after years of rivalry. His brief reign attempted to restore traditional Roman religion before his death in Persia.

Valens ruled the eastern empire as Goths pressed across the Danube. His bronze coinage paid troops while barbarian pressure intensified.

Emperor Valens was killed fighting the Goths near Adrianople — a turning point that exposed the limits of late Roman military power.

Spain organized annual treasure fleets to carry New World silver to Europe. Cob coinage from colonial mints fed global trade and empire.

Silver from Potosí in Bolivia flooded global markets. Crudely struck cobs were cut to weight and shipped on treasure fleets to Spain and beyond.

A continent-wide conflict reshaped European power while Spanish American silver continued to fund Habsburg ambitions.