Traité des monnaies grecques et romaines, I : Théorie et doctrine

The theoretical first volume explains how ancient coins were produced, classified, read, and used as historical evidence. Babelon treats metals, denominations, weights, fabric, legends, types, countermarks, minting technique, chronology, and the organization of collections. Researchers can use it to understand the terminology and assumptions behind early twentieth-century catalogues, to follow older metrological arguments, and to locate discussions of manufacturing and iconography that are not confined to one region.

Because the work predates much of the archaeological and die-study evidence now available, check its chronology, ethnic and dynastic assignments, metrological reconstructions, and theories about the origins or diffusion of coinage against archaeological contexts, current regional corpora, modern hoard studies, and recent historical work.