Roman History

Fol. 1r of BSB Cod.graec. 639: the opening page of Josephus's Bellum Judaicum. The parchment is heavily worn and damaged, but the text is identifiable as the Proem (Preface) of the work.

The Jewish War

Reading companion for Bellum Judaicum — Josephus's eyewitness account of the Jewish revolt against Rome and the destruction of the Second Temple.

Annals

Reading companion for the Annals of Tacitus, covering the Julio-Claudian dynasty from the death of Augustus to the reign of Nero.

Gold Solidus of Julian (361–363), Byzantine, 361–363, Gold, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York — Gallery 301. Struck during the brief but consequential reign of Julian the Apostate, this gold solidus reflects the enduring power of Roman imperial coinage at a pivotal moment of transition. The emperor's portrait — rendered with classical precision on the obverse — evokes Julian's deliberate effort to revive pre-Christian Roman traditions, positioning himself as a philosopher-emperor in the mold of Marcus Aurelius. The solidus, introduced by Constantine I, had by this period become the backbone of Mediterranean commerce, its consistent gold purity a guarantee of imperial authority across vast distances. This coin stands as both a monetary instrument and a miniature monument — a gilded testament to a reign that lasted little more than two years, yet left an indelible mark on the history of the late Roman world.

Against the Galileans

Reading companion and full text of Contra Galilaeos — Emperor Julian's philosophical polemic against Christianity, preserved in fragments through Cyril of Alexandria's rebuttal.