Coins, Cults and Cities: Coinage in the Eastern Roman Provinces (30 BC to AD 270)
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| CLAR3093 | Classics and Archaeology | 3 | 20 | Spring UK |
- Code
- CLAR3093
- School
- Classics and Archaeology
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Spring UK
Summary
The Roman empire was a mad, mad place! How else would you call an empire where any individual city can decide it wants to start issuing its own money – and the authorities let them do it? Where hundreds of cities produced hundreds of currencies of local bronze coinage, each city with its own weight standards, and each using its coinage for self-promotion, celebrating local gods, temples, festivals and any other attractions that made their hometown special. According to one calculation, some 500 cities across the Roman empire minted coins in the 350 years from Caesar to Diocletian, churning out 100,000 different coin types, give or take.
Coins, Cults and Cities is all about this city or ‘civic’ coinage. We won’t have quite enough time in this life to discuss 100,000 coin types, so we focus especially on what we call the Near East, i.e. Roman Syria, Phoenicia, Judaea and Arabia (30 BC to AD 270). Dozens of Near Eastern cities produced coins during this time, contributing to an immensely rich and varied tapestry of local cultures.
We will first grapple with the historical circumstances which put cities in a position to issue their own money despite being subject to Rome. The local autonomy the cities enjoyed was not a consequence of Roman folly, negligence, or administrative malpractice, but a deliberate and well-advised hands-off approach whose wisdom is proven by hundreds of years of stable and successful rule over the provinces.
In Coins, Cults and Cities, you will learn how the coins can shed light on the life of the issuing city in all its facets:
1) world of art: reception of Classical models; Greek-inspired art forms vs. local traditions; stylistic developments over time
2) religious life, cults and gods: significance of religious imagery, local cult images, ‘icons of difference’
3) civic pride, local identity: coins as vehicles for expressions of patriotism and public self-congratulation
4) ideology and propaganda: coins as the only mass medium of the ancient world, as tools for collective self-promotion.
5) complex dynamics between audience and authority: who was responsible for text and image on coins? Who was the target audience?
You will get your hands on actual ancient coins of Damascus, Palmyra, Tyre, Sidon and many other cities (you get to choose which ones). Holding actual 2,000-year old pieces of history in your own hands and examining it will teach you how to apply the knowledge and understanding you’ve gained in class to get the most out of the evidence. You will learn how to observe, analyse and interpret the evidence, and how to turn your thoughts and observations into building blocks for arguments when addressing questions or engaging in scholarly debate.
The civic coins of the Roman Near East have been the focus of my own research for close to 20 years. Like me, you will find that these coins are inexhaustible font of insight and inspiration. There is no other kind of evidence from the Roman Near East even remotely as rich and deep as this coinage, and yet this precious source is unknown to the general public and under-appreciated even by historians and archaeologists.
Target Students
Available to Undergraduate level 2 and level 3 students in the Department of Classics and Archaeology, Liberal Arts students, subsidiary and exchange students.
Classes
- One 2-hour seminar each week for 5 weeks
- Two 1-hour lectures each week for 11 weeks
Assessment
- 50% Coursework 1: 3000-word essay.
- 50% Exam 1 (2-hour): 2-hour exam.
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
Aims1. to gain familiarity with the history and topography of the Roman Near East 2. to gain an appreciation of the rich tapestry of cultures that makes up the Roman Near East 3. to gain solid knowledge and understanding of the civic coinage in the Eastern Roman provinces (30 BC to AD 270) 4. to gain an appreciation and understanding of the many facets of ancient societies (economy, cult & religion, art, culture & identity) that the study of coinage can elucidate. 5. to acquire the necessary numismatic skills and methodology to unlock the vast potential of ancient coins.Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module, students will have:
1. Gained solid knowledge of the economic and symbolic value of coinage in the ancient world: Every coin is an official document, designed and issued by the minting authority, certified to abide by expected quality standards (weight, alloy composition), and put into circulation as legal tender of agreed-upon value.
2. Gained an understanding of the political and historical background that favoured and enabled the production of civic coinage in the Eastern Roman provinces (30 BC to AD 270).
3. An understanding of civic coinage as a medium of communication, a channel through which local communities could assert and articulate their identities, aspirations, political outlook and cultural allegiances.
4. Gained key skills in using primary evidence through hands-on experience of actual ancient coins: students will have honed their skills of observation, analysis and interpretation, learnt how to make sense of the ancient artefact in their hands using their own eyes and wits, common sense and sleuthing skills.
5. Developed the ability to analyse and interpret coins as historical documents and repositories of information on the local communities that produced them, including political status and structure, social and economic life, religious practices etc.
6. Acquired a many transferable skills, including visual analysis, source analysis, critical thinking, oral discussion, structuring thoughts and arguments according to logical principles, combining primary and secondary evidence in the construction of arguments, and effective time-management.