Today, in collaboration with New York University's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World,the ANS launches a major new tool to aid in the identification, research and cataloging of the coins of the ancient world.

OCRE (Online Coins of the Roman Empire) is an attempt to present, in an easily searchable form, all the varieties of the coinage issued by the emperors of ancient Rome. Phase 1, which is launched today, covers the coinage of the first emperors, from Augustus to Hadrian (27 BC - AD 138).

The site presents a basic description of each published variety based on the ANS' collection catalogue (MANTIS). Each of these type descriptions is linked to specimens present in the ANS collection and, where available, to images. Searches are made straightforward through a series of facets, presented in a way that will already be familiar to users of other ANS search tools.

Traditional searches of familiar numismatic categories such as obverse and reverse legends and types are provided, in the hope that OCRE will provide an identification tool useful to collectors, dealers, curators and field archaeologists. Subject searches have also been provided to allow more general researchers to find personifications, deities and portraits.

"OCRE is yet another example of the way that the ANS is both presenting numismatic material to those knowledgeable in the field, as well as expanding the accessibility of numismatic material to broader audiences", notes ANS Executive Director Ute Wartenberg Kagan. "Building on years of curatorial work to catalogue our coins, we hope that our new web-based tools willmake that work available to as broad an audience as possible, in as flexible a way as possible".

OCRE project manager and Roman specialist, Gilles Bransbourg describes the advance that is heralded by OCRE: "OCRE is a leap forward for numismatists, historians and archaeologists alike. Until now, any research into Roman imperial coinage had to rely on paper-based catalogues, online auctions or the very few collections available online. OCRE offers a single,central online catalogue that allows users to view, download and organize digitized information covering the entire history of the Roman imperial coinage. T

To access OCRE, see:numismatics.org/ocre/