Cilicia, Tarsos. Ca. 410-385 B.C., AR Third Stater.

Picture this: It’s 480 BC. You are standing on a dusty plain in Greece. The summer sun is beating down on you, but you can’t feel the breeze because you are encased in nearly 20 kilograms of bronze and leather. You can barely hear your commander over the deafening sound of thousands of men chanting the paean—a war hymn to Apollo. next...

If you think modern middle management is tough, spare a thought for the Satrap. While the term might conjure images of a specific villain from a fantasy novel, "Satrap" was actually a job title—one of the most powerful and dangerous roles in the ancient world. Imagine being the governor of a territory the size of Texas, with your own private army and the power of a king, but with one catch: if you messed up, the actual "King of Kings" (the Persian Emperor) might just cut off your nose or worse. next...