Every ancient coin has two stories to tell: one is the public history of great empires and rulers, the images of grandeur and power that are minted upon its surface; the other is the more intimate, personal story of the men and women whose lives the coin touched and changed in some way. One history that of dynasties and events is there to be read and seen, the other can only be felt and imagined. Yet both are equally real and important. To wear this denarius in its setting of precious gold is to take the imagination on an endless journey of discovery into the ancient past.