![]() ![]() The same was true in ancient Rome, which began producing its first coinage in the late 4th century BCE. Since the two were related, the connection to Apollo that Augustus started carried over to Nero.Portraits of important people appear on local currency all around the world. The reverse side of the coin shows Apollo Pythias, which links Nero back to Augustus's reign. Although there was text around the diameter of the coin, it has been worn down to the point where it's no longer legible. He is wearing a pointed crown as opposed to laurel leaves and is pictured facing to the right. Although its features are heavily worn down, Nero's bust on the front is still visible. This mostly copper tetradrachm was produced during Nero's reign sometime in between 54-68 CE. Eventually the Roman Senate declared him a public enemy and Nero fled to the country to kill himself. As the Roman public turned against him, Nero grew more and more paranoid that someone was going to kill him, so he started killing anyone he was suspicious of, including his tutor Seneca. Despite his glittering lineage and the strong start to his reign, Nero began acting on darker impulses, which eventually grew to the point where he murdered his mother, Agrippina. Nero was part of the esteemed Julio-Claudian dynasty, a family descended from Augustus and (arguably) Julius Caesar. Special thanks to Bill Short, who was gracious enough to offer his time for an interview on Auben Gray Burkhart and who helped this class access and learn about the coin collection. The inability to physically showcase the coins is what led to the creation of this webpage, which allows a more accessible option to learn about this amazing gift to Rhodes College. Students are free to request permission to see them, but there is currently no dedicated viewing section in the library. Today, the physical collection remains in the Rhodes Archives in order to preserve them. Another logged the information into an extensive spreadsheet and archive website, which included (but was not limited to) the dimensions, the date, the metal used, and the chemical analysis of all 117 coins in the collection. The first class to work with these coins helped to clean them and learned basic art conservation. Each Roman Art and Architecture class from 2015 onward contributed to the preservation and documentation of the collection. Miriam Clinton, an art history and archaeology professor here at Rhodes, immediately started integrating it into classes. Auben Gray Burkhart named Rhodes College as the recipient of the collection in his will and the college obtained it in 2014 after his death that year. Short also remarked that the couple were "classy people, with a great deal of whit" and that they were "caring and wanted the best for their friends, family, and students."Īs they began to age, the Burkharts started auctioning off many of their collections or donated them to various local colleges. ![]() Despite the size of the collection, collecting coins was a relatively short term hobby for Auben Gray Burkhart and the interest only lasted two to three years according to Bill Short, who was close friends with the Bukrharts and is in charge of the Rhodes archive collection at the Barrett Library. He made a list of emperors by year so he could organize the coins he bought, although he eventually grew his interest past Roman coins and bought some later European coins as well. Auben Gray Burkhart began working with coin dealers and a friend of his who already had a coin collection. Finally, in the mid-1990's, the Burkharts developed an interest in collecting coins. They also traveled regularly, exploring the world and spending much of they time abroad in the United Kingdom to help with Tara Burkhart's research. The couple were avid collectors, starting off with books, then British caricature cartoons, then stamps. His wife, Tara Burkhart taught English classes here at Rhodes College for 20 years and was the Associate Dean of the British Studies Program. ![]() Auben Gray Burkhart was a local Memphis attorney, philanthropist, and socialite. ![]()
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