Learning outcome:
- At the end of the course, students will be able to identify the major Greek, Roman and Medieval coinages, and analyze them as invaluable historical sources. The course also aims to serve as a general methodological introduction to the use of coins in archaeology, ancient economics, and cliodynamics;
- Students will be able to understand and apply statistical and quantitative methods used in numismatics which will allow them to ask questions of size, volume, and importance of ancient coinage;
- Students will also be able to base historical analyses on numismatic evidence while adopting a diachronic and diatopic perspective;
- The course will allow students to master a wider reading of Antiquity and Middle Ages using coins as a starting point but also referring to various other sources (literature, inscriptions, ancient and medieval historians and chroniclers, gems and seals, architecture etc.).
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Introduction on the elective: Coins and History
The elective on Coins, History and Numismatics focuses on the importance of coinage as historical and archaeological evidence for understanding ancient and medieval history. Its aim is to offer to (R)MA students the opportunity to become familiar with an important instrument by understanding the ways in which the production and circulation of the ancient coinages has influenced the formation and establishment of social and commercial relationships between the involved parties. The role of ancient cities, kings, Emperors and Medieval civitates will be further explored.
Therefore, the key words for those interested to the present elective are: coins, numismatics, history, archaeology, message transmission, coin fabrication, ancient economy, quantification.
Students are asked to have a strong background in Greek, Roman, and Medieval history.
Themes include:
From metal to coinage
Introduction to practical terminology of Greek and Roman Numismatics
Bronze coins: an innovation shaping the world economy: a diachronic perspective;
Athens and the ‘owls’;
Royal Hellenistic issues: Alexander and the Macedonian kingdom
Royal Hellenistic issues: the Seleucids, the Ptolemies and Mithridates VI
The Greek coinages of Bactria: Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek coins
Introduction to Parthian coinages
Introduction to Roman Coinage
Carthaginian coinages: A specific case
The coins of the Celts
The coinages of the Byzantine Empire
Numismatics: A practical guide and online sources
This year’s classes are taking place online via the Zoom platform starting from Tuesday January 18th. Classes are taking place every Tuesday and Friday until March 15th from 5 to 7 pm.
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Assessment
- Assignment: each student will pick one case study (minimum: 4,000 words)
- Oral examination: students will have to identify coins, coinages of different periods and areas, describe the basic methods of the discipline and other questions related to numismatic and economic issues.
Deadlines:
- January 14th 2022: Students must decide on the assignments.
- April 25th 2022: Students must send via email a plan of their research focusing on sources, methodology, problems encountered, relation of their assignment to their studies, description of intended end-product.
- Thursday, 14 June 2022, 9 am to 12: Individual examination of students
- Friday, 15 June 2022, 9 am to 12: Same (if needed)
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