Category History developed from Coins

Jan 2 2024

January 2024


Posted originally on Jan 1, 2024 By Martin Armstrong 

Janus AE
nerosesjanus

Believe it or not, on New Year’s Eve, we still celebrate the ancient Roman religion/myth of Janus, who presided over the beginning and end. So one face looked at the past and the other the coming new year. In fact, January is named after Janus. He also represented the beginning and end of the conflict. In ancient Rome, the Temple of Janus stood in the Roman Forum with doors on both ends and inside was a statue of Janus, who is always represented as the two-faced god. The doors of his temple were open in times of war and closed to mark peace. This represented that things could change politically during a war.

Janus AU Stater 225 212BC

Janus, therefore, represented war and peace. This may be particularly true as the Neocons are determined to usher in World War III. They are scheming to create war BEFORE the election just in case Trump wins overwhelmingly to trap him into a war that he cannot negotiate his way out of. The critical periods in 2024 will be January, April, and July/August 2024.

Achilles dying

So when we celebrate New Year’s Eve, we say goodbye to the past and look forward to the future, a concept stemming from Janus. So much of today is traditions extending back thousands of years and terms like your Achilles’ Heel, named after the Greek warrior who died at the battle of Troy. It was said that when he was born, his mother dipped him in a sacred river to protect him but held him by his heel, which the water never touched. He was shot in his heel with an arrow and died. This statue shows him pulling the arrow from his heel as he died.

NewJersey1787

The Greeks were masters in creating stories handed down through the centuries—even the state of New Jersey in Latin in Nove Caesaria – the land of the new Caesar. Even Christmas Day, December 25th, was the feast day of the ancient sun god – Sol.

Our Republican comes from Rome, and Democracy comes from Athens. Legal Codes go back even before Babylon.

So when we celebrate New Year’s Day, let us hope the doors are slammed shut rather than wide open.

Dec 22 2023

Civilian Always Die in War – War is Hell


Posted originally on Dec 22, 2023 By Martin Armstrong 

9 year old Phan Thi Kim Phuc Naked Girl

COMMENT: You overlook all the civilians being killed in Ukraine and in Palestine.

LS

ANSWER: As they say, history is written by the victor. I do not know what planet you are from, but I have said MANY times that typically, an equal amount or more civilians die in war than soldiers. It does not matter what war you want to talk about. How many millions of Vietnamese died? How many Iraqis died to get one man? The American Civil War using census data, the demographic historian Dr. J. David Hacker published “A Census-Based Count of Civil War Dead” in the scholarly quarterly Civil War History, reported a more accurate estimate of Civil War deaths is about 750,000, with as many as 850,000 dead. This is based on the census data – not death on the battlefield. The civilian deaths were most likely in the neighborhood of 200,000+ dead.

Hiroshima Nagasaki 1945

Civilians ALWAYS die in war. It is estimated that over 200,000 died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Starting a war with Russia will result in countless civilian deaths and the destruction of most of the monuments of Europe. All of this for what?

Dresden Feb 1945

The Dresden Massacre – February 1945

I am sure you have never heard of the Dresden Massacre carried out by the Allies that killed an estimated 250,000 German civilians. Japan overshadowed Dresden in August 1945. Some accounts claimed 500,000 civilians died in Dresden. About 600,000 refugees from the had hidden in Dresen, joining an estimated 600,000 inhabitants. After the waves of bombers had passed in the night, they dropped phosphorus bombs on Dresden, which burned people alive.

Then, in daylight, low-flying aircraft mowed down visible survivors running in the streets. The Western press did not report the civilian massacre, just that 8,000 aircraft flew to destroy Dresden with 3,000 bombers. The phosphorus bombs were dropped on Dresden without any regard for civilians since they were Germans who deserved death for being born German. It was akin to the dropping of Napalm (liquid fire) on Vietnam, burning civilians alive then as well.

During the American Civil War, General Sherman told his Troops at Vicksburg – War is hell.

Dresden
Sep 12 2023

Documenting History with Coins


Armstrong Economics Blog/Ancient History Re-Posted Sep 12, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong, Your writings on Rome and the parallels are astounding because, as you say, human nature never changes. I took my family to Rome for a vacation thanks to you. We went into the Roman Forum, and that was impressive. Are the monuments there in the forum documented by the coinage?

Thank you for what you do

DK

ANSWER: Of yes. As I have said before, the reverse side of the coinage was cleverly used as an ancient form of newspaper, sometimes including propaganda. The coins have often identified not only portraits of emperors but also monuments. The Arch of Severus stands at one end, commemorated on his coinage, and at the opposite end is the famous Arch of Titus, commemorating the conquest of Judaea. Interestingly, that arch does not appear on any coin, perhaps because several victory coins were celebrating that same victory.

There is the cremation pyre, which Julius Caesar was laid directly across from the Rostrum.

This is a Roman Sestertius issued by Titus announcing the opening of the Colosseum and a later issue by his brother with the legend Divus Titus commemorating that he built it after his death.

Here is a Roman Sestertius announcing the new port at Ostia to import grain from Egypt to feed Rome. Some people collect just monuments. Others collect only the Julio/Claudian Dynasty. Still, perhaps the most popular is a set of portraits of the emperors.

This is a reference work just on the coinage displaying the various monuments of the Roman Empire