A group of ancient coins is among the Diniacopoulos collection of Central and Eastern Mediterranean antiquities housed at Queen's University. At first glance, nine coins in the collection appear to be billon tetradrachms minted in Alexandria, Egypt, dating to the period of the Emperor Claudius (41–54 AD). On the obverse, there is a portrait of the Emperor Claudius, on the reverse his wife Messalina is holding their two children. A closer examination reveals, however, that each of these coins weighs substantially less than the majority of specimens belonging to the same issues. All of the coins appear to have silver-rich plated surfaces with copper-rich cores. Questions are raised, therefore, about their authenticity and methods of manufacture. The surfaces display a variety of corrosion products, some of which may also indicate past restoration treatments. A single coin was selected for time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX) analyses to investigate the viability of utilizing these combined techniques in the study of ancient coins. In order to gain information on the composition and distribution of the various chemical components present at the surface and into the bulk, it is necessary to profile into the sample, which by definition is destructive. Thus, it is important to identify areas of interest for further analysis so that the amount of damage can be minimized while maximizing the information obtained. To accomplish this, large area imaging ToF-SIMS has been performed using the stage-raster option in an IonTOF ToF-SIMS V. Bi3++ primary ions were used to map the surface and the positive secondary ion distribution images were obtained. Because of the varying topography of the sample, delayed onset of the generated secondary ion had to be used. Four areas were identified for further analysis, namely: (1) a Ag rich (minimal Cu content) area; (2) an area showing the presence of both Cu and Ag; (3) an area displaying visibly different surface characteristics, and finally, (4) a Cu rich (minimal Ag content) area. Chemical composition was obtained from these areas using XPS. To obtain further (nondestructive) depth information, EDX images were obtained, which would arise from a deeper sampling depth. In this case Ag was seen to be more dominant except for region (4). This implies a Cu enrichment at the surface as observed by the ToF-SIMS except for region (1). In this paper, the results of depth profiles in the bulk of the chosen areas are presented in order to ascertain the distribution of the various chemical components. This will allow future investigation on how the coins were manufactured.

Two tetradrachms from the Diniacopoulos collection housed at Queen's University are the subject of this study. Previously, a protocol had been developed for a coin of the Emperor Claudius from the same collection, which showed that a combination of Time‐of‐Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS), Energy Dispersive X‐ray Spectroscopy (EDX), and X‐ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) could provide information and identify areas of interest for additional analysis, thereby minimizing the amount of damage incurred. This is now applied to two more tetradrachms issued by the same mint and dated respectively to the time of Tiberius (14–37 AD) and Nero (54–68 AD). Preliminary results have indicated both differences and similarities between these coins and that from the time of Claudius. By comparing these results, it is hoped that information as to how the coins were made can be elucidated, shedding light on the different components and composition of the alloys produced in the same mint but at different time periods. Moreover, the detection and the identification of corrosion products, along with understanding what restorations methods may have been applied in the past, can guide conservators to determine what conservation treatment and preservation strategies are most appropriate for these antiquities.

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One of the most important areas of ancient Rome was the Forum Boarium, where the cult of Hercules was especially prominent. This article examines ancient and Renaissance sources about one of the temples dedicated to the demigod in this area: the Aedes Aemiliana Herculis. Current scholarship identifies this temple with a building destroyed under the papacy of Sixtus IV (1471–1484). An unpublished letter written by Leonardo Agostini to Leopoldo de’ Medici on 27 February 1666 along with closer examination of Renaissance written sources suggests that this temple stood in the area in the proximity of Via S. Giovanni Decollato and not in the area of the granary of Ottavio Gracchi as previously believed. It is also clear that the Neapolitan architect Pirro Ligorio mistakenly attributed to this temple the architectural decoration of the Basilica Aemilia in the Forum Romanum, misleading modern scholars.