An Emperor in Bronze and a Satyr in Gold

A coin marks a point in time in a way few other artifacts do. My bronze coin isn’t just a piece of metal with a Roman emperor’s face on it – it’s an artifact of his reign, a holdover from that era which testifies to what happened to that point and what might have happened if the contingencies of history had turned out differently.

6th century mystery volcano identified

Researchers believe they have identified the volcano that disrupted large parts of the planet with its eruption in 540 C.E. that may have also contributed to hardships after the fall of the Roman Empire.