THIS DAY IN ANCIENT HISTORY

ante diem vii kalendas januarias

ca. 33 A.D. -- martyrdom of Stephen

1853 -- birth of Wilhelm Doerpfeld (exavator of  Tiryns, Olympia, Troy, etc.)

1890 -- death of Heinrich Schliemann (excavator of Mycenae and Troy)

::Friday, December 26, 2003 6:07:47 AM::
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NUNTII: Roman Coin Discovery

Oh oh ... this should pull a few nuts out of the cupboard ... a Roman coin has been found during bridge construction ... in ... New Zealand:

The coin, with Caesar Augustus stamped on it, is believed to have come from the year seven B.C.

Marlborough District Council's reserves and amenities supervisor Russell Montgomery said the coin was an "exciting find" although it would never be known how it got there.

"It could have been flicked off a bridge in 1940 or dumped in ballast in 1840 - we will never know," he said.

The coin was found by Picton archeologist Reg Nichol, who was employed by the council when workers uncovered piles.

Mr Montgomery said work was halted when what was obviously a wharf or bridge structure was uncovered and Mr Nichol was called in.

"It's a very exciting find and we plan to mount it in a frame as it's a piece of history we wouldn't want to lose," said Mr Montgomery.

Mr Nichol described the coin as a "fascinating find" - probably the oldest coin ever found in New Zealand, but he was anxious to point out it didn't mean the Romans were in Marlborough.

"In historical terms, it has very little significance - it is just a curiosity item," he said.

The "rather worn" copper coin was about the size of a halfpenny and probably came to Marlborough in someone's purse in the 19th century when the wharf was being regularly used.

Source ... The other possibility, of course, is that the site was 'seeded' by someone trying to mess with archaeologists' heads ...

::Friday, December 26, 2003 5:23:39 AM::
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AWOTV: On TV Today

7.00 p.m. |HINT| Julius Caesar: Master of the Roman World
"Profile of one of the world's greatest military minds, ancient
Rome's Julius Caesar, who romanced Cleopatra, invented the 12-
month calendar, and expanded the boundaries of the empire,
before being assassinated by senators fearful of his growing
power."

8.00 p.m. |A&E| The Unknown Jesus
"A 2-hour investigation that challenges traditional beliefs
about Jesus. Was Jesus really a poor carpenter or an aristocrat?
Was he a pacifist or a revolutionary determined to overthrow
Roman tyranny? Did he really grow up in Nazareth or another
place? And was he a real-life martyr or a convenient fiction?"

HINT = History International

A&E = Arts and Entertainment

::Friday, December 26, 2003 5:16:21 AM::
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