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Since the first coins were minted by Greek states in west Asia Minor during the late 7th century BCE, money has served as the basis of daily commerce among civilized communities.
Gradually - and particularly in the first centuries of the common era - coins began to carry political and commercial messages around the world,
through the rulers and symbols they portrayed and the inscriptions they bore.
Coins were the radio, television, and internet carrying information about their makers.
They were minted in huge quantities (checks and paper money were introduced only in the 18th century) and spread worldwide by merchants,
soldiers, and travelers.
Each telling its own story. The coins described in this book. | |