Roman Gold and Silver Coins from India : A Collectors Guide

Contents: Preface. 1. Commerce. 2. Coin finds. 3. Coin influx. 4. Chronology. 5. Coin types. Bibliography. Appendices: 1. Obverse and reverse motifs. 2. State wise distribution of Roman coin finds. 3. Titles and their meanings. 4. Roman imperial mints and denomination. Plates. Abbreviations and glossary.

From the Preface: "South India witnessed the inflow of a large number of Roman coins in gold, silver and copper. This work deals with the coins of Roman Republican and Imperial, starting with the coins of 2nd century BC and ending with those of Justinian I (AD 527-565). Of these, the gold (Augustus to Caracalla) and silver (Republican to Nero) coins of the early Roman rulers are datable upto the 3rd century AD, while the gold and copper coins of the late Roman rulers (Constantine to Justinian I) are between the 4th and 6th centuries AD.

"The coin types listed in this book are in the collections of various major museums of Tamilnadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Although some have been published by the museumes concerned as catalogues, many types have not been listed or illustrated. This book intends to act as a reference tool for the collectors, museum personnel, research students and archaeologists and help them in identifying all the types of Roman coin found in India.

"The obverse and reverse motifs are discussed in the Appendix I, while Appendix II lists the Roman emperors and gives a metal-wise distribution of Roman coins in the South Indian states. Appendices III and IV discuss the imperial titles, mints and denominations respectively."