Moneta

Fantastic. Moneta is a brilliant combination of history and expert storytelling – if anyone reads the first five pages, they’ll be up all night with it

CONN IGGULDEN, bestselling author of the Emperor series

A novel and highly readable approach to Roman history. The author's enthusiasm shines through on every page

PHILIP MATYSZAK, author of A History of Ancient Rome in 100 Lives

Extremely enjoyable. A brilliant combination of entertaining and educational Roman history that makes numismatics vivid and exciting

EMMA SOUTHON, author of A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women

Fast paced and vivid, Moneta makes more than a millennium of Roman history tangible, telling the story of the empire’s rise and fall through the thing that backed it all - cold hard cash. The coins in these pages funded wars, paid debts, and bought bread, but they also defined factions, declared beliefs, and forged the enduring images of some of history’s greatest men

HONOR CARGILL-MARTIN, author of Messalina

This vivid story of some 800 years of artistry, assassination and adventure makes it far more than a history of Roman coins, but it's that too, and if you weren't already fascinated by these tiny beautiful works of art and all we can learn from them, I promise that you will be by the time the barbarians are at the gate (and probably by end of the prologue). There are riches aplenty in these pages, and Gareth uses his wonderful hoard of coins to pay our fare back to the roar of the Colosseum and the Roman senate house, where he is waiting to describe the ancient past with learning and immediacy

CHRISTOPHER HADLEY, author of The Road

A first-rate popular history written with verve and imagination

THOMAS J. T. WILLIAMS, author of Lost Realms

From Caesar's hubris to the daily pay of a Roman soldier, this excellent history whizzes through one thousand years of history ... For those who want an enjoyable potted history of 1,000 years of Rome told in an engaging new way, Harney’s book is well worth a few denarii

The Times

Riveting ... An utterly original history of Rome that compels from start to finish. A wonderful read

Mail on Sunday

[Harney] deploys the coins skilfully to underpin and illustrate his history … an effective and appropriate strategy because Roman coins really are exceptional in the range of their design … a rich resource for talking about Roman power

Times Literary Supplement

An excellent 1,000 year history of Rome told through 12 coins… This book is well worth a few denarii

Sunday Times, *Summer Reads of 2024*

A wonderfully evocative history of the Roman Empire

Mail on Sunday, *Summer Reads of 2024*

Genius. A beautifully written, fast-paced overview of Rome's history. By linking important events to coins - those tiny portable visual conveyors of information, news and propaganda - Harney has achieved something wonderful

CAROLINE LAWRENCE, author of The Roman Mysteries

In this delightful book, Harney, a historian and coin collector, tells the story of ancient Rome from founding to collapse, through the medium of its coinage. The result is fascinating, orginal and fun. The story of Rome is of course extraordinary. But the way it is told by Harney brings it to life. It is a book to enjoy, but also one from which both young and old can learn much

Financial Times, Book of the Year 2024

An exhilarating journey through Rome’s rise and fall, told through the lens of history's most humble, yet powerful, artefact: the coin. Masterfully weaving vivid narratives with in-depth histories, Gareth Harney transforms these small, transient objects into the vibrant storytellers of an empire, bringing the story of money to life in a way that feels both thrilling and accessible. I have a new found respect for the humble coin after reading Harney's book. A fantastic read - I'll wager that readers will be gripped from the start

JESS VENNER, PhD

Gareth Harvey’s Moneta offers an original and ingenious means of recounting the rise and fall of Rome’s empire, though twelve coins. The result is both exciting and enjoyable, filled with fascinating and illuminating details

MATTHEW KNEALE, author of Rome