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Steve Benner

Steve M. Benner earned his Ph.D. in engineering from Ohio State University in 1979 and went to teach at Drexel University for five years. After he left Drexel, he joined NASA at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, and retired from there after 28 years. Dr. Benner has been an ancient coin collector for over 50 years and is a member of the ANS, the ANA, the ACCG, and the Ancient Numismatic Society of Washington, D.C. (ANSW). Dr. Benner has written over 50 articles and two books on ancient Greek and Roman coins.
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Recent Articles by this Author

The coast of Apulia

Coinage of Ancient Apulia, Italy: Silver, Bronze, and a Forgotten Hellenized Frontier

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
By Steve Benner A Forgotten Frontier of Magna Graecia Ancient Apulia lay along the eastern Adriatic coast of the Italian peninsula, just north of the “heel”...
Orophernes usurper circa 159 - 157 BC. Tetradrachm

Coinage of the Kings of Cappadocia, 255 BCE–17 CE

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek   Part I: From Persian Satrapy to Hellenistic Kingdom Cappadocia occupied the heart of ancient Asia Minor, in what is now...

Portrait Coins of the Julio-Claudians, Part 2

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
Power, Image, and Dynastic Messaging from Tiberius to Nero Part 1  Ceaser and Augustus Roman imperial coinage under the Julio-Claudian emperors did far more than facilitate...
Medusa Coins

Coins of Medusa: The Maligned Maiden

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek Medusa is one of the most recognizable figures in Greek mythology. Even people with little interest in classical history know...
A generative image of two Romans exchanging coins.

Portrait Coins of the Julio-Claudians: Part 1

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
By Dr. Steve Benner for CoinWeek... Introduction The Julio-Claudian family was one of the most dysfunctional in ancient history (the Ptolemies were a close second). Being...
Lycian coins

Silver Coinage of Ancient Lycia: Pre-Dynastic, Dynastic, and League

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
Dr. Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. Introduction Lycia has a history dating back to the Late Bronze Age (1550–1200 BCE) and the Hittites. Known as the Lukka Lands by the...
Arches on Ancient Coins. Image: Adobe Stock / CoinWeek.

Triumphal Arches on Roman Imperial Coins

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
Dr. Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. Introduction Triumphal arches are a uniquely Roman architectural concept. There were no precedents for this type of arch in the Greek world or the...
Figure 5: Roman Republic, Sardinia after 211 BC. a). AE Triens, 22 mm, 7.32 g. Second Punic War halt-weight, overstrike series. Mint In Sardinia. Helmeted head of Minerva right; •••• (mark of value) above / Prow or galley right, •••• below, McCabe Group H1; b)  AE Quadrans. Sardinia. 3.42 g., 17 mm. Head of Hercules right, wearing lion skin headdress, three pellets behind ••• / Prow right, ROMA above, three pellets below •••. Crawford cf. 56/5.; and c) AE Sextans, 16.5mm. 2.22 g. Second Punic War half-weight overstrike series. Mint in Sardinia. Head of Mercury right. wearing petasos, •• above / Prow of galley right; ROMA above; •• below, Crawford 56/6 var. (full weight, not overstruck):

Caught Between Empires: Coins of Sardinia

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
By Dr. Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. When I began researching this article, I was aware of Sardinia's rich 8,000-year history, but I hadn't realized how limited the information...
Imperial Structures on Roman Coins

Imperial Structures on Roman Coins

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
By Dr. Steve Benner for CoinWeek .....   Roman emperors (and their celators or celatores, the engravers who created the coin dies) liked to put monumental...
The Coinage of Ancient Calabria

Coins of Ancient Calabria

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
By Dr. Steve Benner for CoinWeek .....   In ancient times, Calabria was located on the southeast peninsula of the Italian mainland - the “heel” of...
Figure 1: The Carinus bronze coin.

A Mysterious Carinus Coin: Steve Benner

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
By Dr. Steve Benner for CoinWeek .....   This article is more personal than my previous pieces and revolves around a single coin purchased on eBay. Let...
Roman House Gods on Coins.

Roman Household Gods on Coins

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
By Dr. Steve Benner for CoinWeek .....   Most people who are even remotely familiar with the Roman Empire can name some of the gods that...
Artistic Image of Marcus Agrippa.

Marcus Agrippa and His Coins of the Roman Empire

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
By Dr. Steve Benner for CoinWeek .....   Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was born to a plebeian family near Rome or possibly Pisa in about 63 BCE....
The coins of Halikarnassos.

Coinage of the Dorian Cities of Halikarnassos and Knidos

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
By Dr. Steve Benner for CoinWeek .....   This is the second article (Part I here) in a two-part series on the six cities of the...
Coins of the Dorian Cities of Rhodes

Coins of the Dorian Cities of Rhodes

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
By Dr. Steve Benner for CoinWeek ..... Doris was a small region on the southwest coast of Asia Minor (see Figure 1), which later became...
Figure 7: AEOLIS Neonteichos. Circa 2nd Century BC. Æ 17mm. Helmeted head of Athena right; helmet decorated with sphinx / Owl standing right, head facing, standing on NE, 3.68 g. BMC Troas 3. (CNG 122, Lot: 37, $121, 9/7/05)

Ancient Greek Coins of Aiolis: The Minor Cities

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ..... The previous article that I wrote on Aiolis covered the larger commercial cities of Aigai, Cyme, and Myrina. I...
Figure 9: AIOLIS, Myrina. Circa 160-143 BC. AR Tetradrachm. Stephanophoric type. Laureate head of Apollo right / Apollo Grynios standing right. Holding branch and phiale; monogram to left, omphalos and amphora at feet; all within laurel wreath, 33mm. 16.70 g., Sacks Issue 20, Obv. die 19. (CNG 476, Lot 101, $1700, 9/9/20).

Ancient Greek Coins of Aiolis: Aigai, Cyme and Myrina

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ..... Aiolis was a small region on the west coast of Asia Minor (see Figure 1). It was surrounded by...

The Ancient Roman Coins of Carus and His Brief Dynasty

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek .....   By the middle of the third century CE, the Roman Empire was in bad shape. In 253, when Valerian became...
Coins of Ancient Greek Pamphylia

Coins of Ancient Greek Pamphylia

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek .....   Pamphylia was not a country unto itself but a region. It is located on the southern coast of Asia...
Coins of Ancient Greek Troas (Troad): Part 4

Coins of Ancient Greek Troas (Troad): Part 4

Ancient Coins Steve Benner -
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek .....   Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 * * * This article is the fourth and final...
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