The extraordinary story of Rome, the ancient world's greatest superpower, as told through mankind's most ordinary object: the coin.
When Gareth Harney was first handed a Roman coin by his father as a child, he became entranced: by its beauty, its hardiness and its power to tell stories and connect us with the ancient past. He realised that coins, more than being simply markers of exchange, are metal canvases upon which societies could immortalise their ideas, cultures, personalities, tragedies and triumphs. His small tarnished coin, then, actually told the epic story of Rome.
From a few huts on an Italian hilltop to an all-conquering empire spanning three continents, Heads or Tails traces the dramatic rise and fall of the Romans through the fascinating lives of twelve remarkable coins. Through them we witness Caesar's assassination, experience everyday life in the heart of the city, journey into the Colosseum and meet the barbarians at the gate.
This is the glory, and infamy, of ancient Rome in the palm of your hand.
