ISSN 0320-961X (Print)
ISSN - (Online)


Ливия

«The unbeknown animal» on the coins of Cyrene

The article revisits the first catalogue of ancient Greek and Roman coins in British collections, published by N.F. Haym in London in 1720. In the collection of the Duke of Devonshire, Haym found a golden coin from Cyrene with the image of strange small animal next to the silphium, the vegetative symbol of Cyrene, which evinced a multidisciplinary interest during the Enlightenment period in England.

A Forgotten Treasure of Cyrene

The article examines human interaction with the natural environment in antiquity with a specific focus on Cyrene during the period from the sixth century B.C. to the first century A.D. The object of this examinationis silphium, a largely forgotten plant for which ancient Cyrenaica was famous.