Chemical composition of parthian coins - Journal of Chemical

Chemical composition of parthian coins. Henry M. Leicester. J. Chem. Educ. , 1956, 33 (5), p 254. DOI: 10.1021/ed033p254.3. Publication Date: May 1956...
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JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION

254

HANDBOOK OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE Edited by Fred C. Blonck, Chief Research Chemist, H.J. Heinz Company, and Administrative Fellow, Mellon Institute of Industrial Research. Reinhold Publishing Corp., New York, 1955. vii 1039 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23.5 em. $12.50.

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people of the world. It is remettable that the index to Blanok's "Handhook does not live up to the high standard of the work since many important items can be located only through careful reading of the text. ~~~

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FRANCIS J. WEISS

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Coptoin Burr W.Ley30n. E. p. Dutton a Co., Inc.* New York, 1955. 215 pp. Figs. 14 X 21 cm. $3.50. NOWADAYS many young people have come to look upon our modern wonders as simple conveniences instead of complex machines. Others realize the complexity of these machines, but do not have any idea of the principles upon whioh they work. I believe that many people would find this book an excellent and interesting source of information about many modern devices which they do not understand. They might become more interested in the fields it covers and consider going into one of these fields as a. vocation.

1955. v 82.50.

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52 tables. 15.5 X 23 cm. Piper bound:

THIS is a technical publication which is chiefly interesting to those actually engaged in the analysis of old coins. I t gives in detail the analytical methods to be employed and discusses the factors which can affect the results. I t gives a particularly clear discussion of the significance of soecific eravitv determinations as compared to chen&sl analyses'in de&rmining the fineness of silver coins. From all of this it might be assumed that the hook would he of little interest to the general reader, and it is true that he would probably skip much of it. Nevertheless the results described in this book show the importance of the application of chemical methods to archaeology. The results reveal matters of interest to the historian, and to the historieally-minded layman. Most of the coins analyzed showed about the same silver content, but those from the reign of one Parthian king, Orodes I, showed a sharp and progressive debasement through his entire rule. The correlation of this debasement with the political and economic events makes a. most interesting story. I t could not have been revealed in any other way. HENRY M. LEICESTER

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