Written by Michele Asolati, Professor of Medieval and Modern Numismatics at the University of Padua, Nummi Aenei Cyrenaici can be considered an outlining summa of the coinage of ancient Cyrenaica in Northern Africa. It is the twelfth instalment in a special series on Cyrenean studies published by ‘L’Erma’ di Bretschneider. The book is the second edition of an earlier volume (published in 2011), which has now been revised and expanded, including a new set of illustrations. Overall, the author primarily assesses the bronze coins of Cyrenaica with a focus on a broad timespan from 322 BC to AD 180. Asolati’s study is the latest contribution within a longstanding scholarship on Cyrenaican coinage that started in the nineteenth century – see, for instance, the studies by the French numismatist Adolphe Duchalais (Reference Duchalais1852). We can also mention the essential works by Robinson (Reference Robinson1927), Naville (Reference Naville1951) and other major works by Asolati himself (Reference Asolati2009; Reference Asolati2016).

The volume begins with two short forewords and a list of acknowledgements. In the brief introduction (13–14), the author provides a general overview of his work. In terms of methodology, Asolati has benefitted from some essential reference works, including the British Museum Catalogue and Roman Provincial Coinage I, which are used as cataloguing models. However, Asolati highlights that several new coin types, which had not been previously identified in those works, are included in his monograph. The major set of finds was identified and studied at the Museum of Cyrene between 2004 and 2009. All catalogued coins mentioned in the main text are typed in bold for the reader’s ease of reference.

The first, main section of Asolati’s book assesses the Greek bronze coinage of Cyrenaica (15–55), particularly from Cyrene (16–41), Barca/Ptolemais (42–43), Euesperides/Berenice (44–51) and Apollonia (52). The start of coin production in the region most probably occurred in 322–321 BC and is discussed here by looking especially at historical events. In particular, the early coins show some essential types which become typical of the iconography of Cyrene’s coinage, such as the recurring silphium depictions (Wartenberg and Kagan Reference Wartenberg, Kagan and Asolati2016). The following subsections are concerned with specific and short-term periods in the history of Cyrenaican coinage: e.g., the reign of Ptolemy I Soter (308–305 BC), the revolts under Magas (281–261 BC), etc. In these parts, Asolati demonstrates a strong critic acuity in analysing all the coin series, linking them to the historical context and even revisiting some chronologies, such as, for instance, those of Ptolemy I (21). The official and unofficial coin issues are also considered and sometimes organised in tables and diagrams (30), while more complex coin series are divided by groups for ease of analysis, such as those of Ptolemy III and IV (30–33). Regarding the Euesperides/Berenice coinage, of interest is the new analysis of monograms (46–51) which the author revises in comparison with Robinson’s catalogue (Reference Robinson1927). Two short parts report some minor issues with the B–A and K–Λ types, as well as coins of uncertain attribution (53–55).

The second major section of Asolati’s volume analyses Cyrenaica’s coinage during the Roman period (57–74), assessing the production (57–66), nominal values (67–68), a special series of countermarks (68–70), and the coins issued by Rome’s mint for Cyrenaica (71–74). The start of Roman coinage should be dated to 67 BC, although this is still debated (57). The author then opts for revising or re-discussing some chronologies of the late first century BC (61), assessing the sequence of coins struck by Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII (fig. 25) and discussing the coin series of the provincia Creta et Cyrenaica between the late Roman Republic and the end of Tiberius’ reign (67 BC–AD 37). As far as the imperial period is concerned, Asolati begins his assessment by mentioning some silver examples depicting the head of Hammon (fig. 28); there are also further comparisons with the coin types of the Bosra mint (fig. 30) and a short mention of nominal values (74).

The bibliography can be found after the last major section (75–82), although it might have been better to place it at the end of the volume. It is, however, certainly up to date and includes a list of relevant websites as well. The coin catalogue forms the last substantial section of this volume (83–133). Asolati has benefitted from several coin collections and essential reference catalogues, as well as bibliographical works (e.g., Sydenham Reference Sydenham1978). Overall, the catalogue, which includes 191 examples and variations, is divided into two main sections: Greek coinage (87–123) and Roman provincial coinage (124–33). The first section comprises the following mints: Cyrene (87–116); Barca/Ptolemais (117–18); Euesperides/Berenice (119); and Apollonia (123). The second section includes mostly the coins minted at Cyrene itself (124–29) and in Rome for Cyrenaica (130–33). The catalogue is succinct but certainly effective, and includes the following entries: a description of the coin series; the unit and average weight and diameter; a short description of type, obverse and reverse, as well as any potential variation (e.g., legends, monograms and types); and references.

The last section of this volume consists of 33 colour plates of coins, which are organised following the catalogue’s structure. It is essential to highlight the high quality of the images, thanks to which each coin can be clearly read and its iconography/legend fully understood. Finally, an Arabic translation of the introduction concludes the volume (177–79).

One should point out some defects (or missing sections) of the volume. First, one would have expected a conclusion (which is lacking here) to provide a general overview of the coinage of Cyrenaica and evaluate standard trends in coin production, common grounds in terms of production or coin iconographies, and other concluding remarks. Second, there are no indexes, which would have been very useful to trace essential types, legends, places, variations and monograms.

Despite these omissions, Asolati’s Nummi Aenei Cyrenaici remains a handy and valuable volume for all scholars interested in the study of Cyrenaican coinage, and of Greek and Roman provincial coinage in Northern Africa more broadly for several reasons. First of all, the comprehensive record of examples and coin series makes the catalogue an important tool for numismatic research; the collected and analysed data form a major set of information which is now easily available in a single volume. Furthermore, the author often provides revisions and updates of previous coin chronologies. Lastly, as already mentioned, the plates allow readers to benefit from high-quality, extremely clear pictures of the coins, which are all perfectly readable.