* A Financial Times Book of the Year * A Sunday Times and Mail on Sunday Summer Read *

HOLD THE POWER AND GLORY OF ANCIENT ROME IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND.

'Fantastic ... expert storytelling' CONN IGGULDEN
'Excellent' SUNDAY TIMES
'Riveting and utterly original' MAIL ON SUNDAY

A wild she-wolf tenderly nurses infant twins Romulus and Remus.
Marcus Junius Brutus looks out over chaos and conflict, flaunting the bloodied daggers with which he murdered Julius Caesar.
Trumpets blare, crowds roar, gladiators enter the grand Colosseum. Let the games begin.

Told through the lives of twelve remarkable coins, this is ancient Rome as you’ve never seen it before. Frescoes fade and books vanish, but the story of Rome’s epic rise and fall survives in scenes struck in gold, silver and bronze.

'Extremely enjoyable' EMMA SOUTHON
'Wonderful ... there are riches aplenty in these pages' CHRISTOPHER HADLEY
'Ingenious - filled with illuminating details' MATTHEW KNEALE
'Fascinating, original and fun' FINANCIAL TIMES

"Riveting ... An utterly original history of Rome that compels from start to finish. A wonderful read" - Mail on Sunday

"In this delightful book, Harney, a historian and coin collector, tells the story of ancient Rome from founding to collapse, through the medium of its coinage. The result is fascinating, orginal and fun. The story of Rome is of course extraordinary. But the way it is told by Harney brings it to life. It is a book to enjoy, but also one from which both young and old can learn much" - Financial Times, Book of the Year 2024

"An excellent 1,000 year history of Rome told through 12 coins… This book is well worth a few denarii" - Sunday Times, *Summer Reads of 2024*

"A wonderfully evocative history of the Roman Empire" - Mail on Sunday, *Summer Reads of 2024*

"From Caesar's hubris to the daily pay of a Roman soldier, this excellent history whizzes through one thousand years of history ... For those who want an enjoyable potted history of 1,000 years of Rome told in an engaging new way, Harney’s book is well worth a few denarii" - The Times

"[Harney] deploys the coins skilfully to underpin and illustrate his history … an effective and appropriate strategy because Roman coins really are exceptional in the range of their design … a rich resource for talking about Roman power" - Times Literary Supplement