On one side of this ancient coin is the head of
Zeus, king of the gods. On the other is a chariot
drawn by galloping horses. Who might have held
this coin when the Classical world was in full
flower? A merchant who travelled to all the great
ports of the Mediterranean? An actor who
appeared in Greek dramas at the theater of
Syracuse? An artist who painted frecoes in the
villas of nobles and kings? There is a mystery and
romance about such objects. They act as tickets
to take the imagination on wondrous journeys
into the vanished past.
- (FJ.2827)