Seminar in Classical and Byzantine Numismatics
| Kenneth W. Harl | Tulane University |
| History (Hebert) Building 125D | Department of History |
| Office History (Hebert) 108 | History (Hebert 108) |
| (504)-862-8626 (office) | 866-5392 (home) |
| kharl@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu | Spring Term 2000 |
Aims:
Students enrolled in this graduate research seminar will receive training so that they may pursue original scholarship in Numismatics as well as serve as assistants for the identification of Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Muslim coins found as either hoards or in excavations in Turkey. Therefore, students will master the major coinages, the use of coins to the fields of History, Art History, and Archaeology, and the practical matters of identifying, cleaning, photographing, and preparing for publication coins. The seminar will conclude with exercises to prepare students for original research on the coins from the excavations of Gordion and Metropolis as well as a major hoard of Byzantine coins from eastern Turkey currently housed in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara.
SCHEDULE OF READINGS
1. INTRODUCTION: TERMINOLOGY AND METHODS
Readings:
Grierson, Philip, Numismatics (Oxford, 1975); general introduction
Sutherland, C. H. V., "Ancient Numismatics," ANS Lecture, New York,1958, 1-29
2. ARCHAIC AND CLASSICAL GREEK COINAGES
Readings:
Kraay, C., Archaic and Classical Greek Coins (Berkeley, 1976), pp. 20-78; 131-160, 239-286, and 329-330.
Martin, Thomas, Sovereignty and Coinage in Ancient Greece (Princeton, 1985), pp. 196-218; fiscal and economic purpose of coinage by Greek cities
Klawans, Z. H., An Outline of Ancient Greek Coins (Racine, WI, 1959), pp. 9-49; manual for identification of coins
3. THE COINAGES OF THE HELLENISTIC WORLD AND REPUBLICAN ROMEReadings:
Mørkholm, Otto, Early Hellenistic Coinage (Cambridge, 1991), pp. 3-63 , 71-77, & 113-162
Harl, K. W., Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C.-700 A.D. (Baltimore, 1996), pp. 1-72
4. ROMAN IMPERIAL COINAGE:
Readings:
Harl, Coinage in the Roman Economy, pp. 73-96, 125-180, and 207-314
Klawans, Z., Reading and Dating Roman Imperial Coins, pp. 8-59 & 101-124; manual for identification of coins
5. THE CIVIC AND PROVINCIAL COINAGE OF THE ROMAN EAST
Readings:
Harl, Coinage in the Roman Economy, pp. 97-124
C. Howgego, Greek Imperial Countermarks (London, 1985), pp. 1-17 & 74-82
Sear, David, Greek Imperial Coins & their Values (London, 1982), pp. xi-xxxv
6. THE ICONOGRAPHY OF ROMAN COINS
Readings:
Sutherland, C. H. V., Roman Coins (New York, 1974), pp. 95-215
Price M. J. and B. L. Trell, Coins and their Cities (London, 1977), pp. 11-52 & 91-146
Harl, Civic Coins and Civic Politics, pp. 12-82
7. BYZANTINE COINAGE
Readings:
Harl, Coinage in the Roman Economy, pp. 181-206
Hendy, M. , Studies in the Byzantine Monetary Economy, c. 300-1450 (Cambridge, 1985), pp. 475-547
Lhotka, J. F., Introduction to East Roman Coinage (Norman, 1958), manual for identification of coins
8. ISLAMIC COINAGES OF MEDIEVAL ANATOLIA
Readings:
Album, Stephen, Marsden's Numismata Orientalia Illustrata (New York, 1977), pp. 11-32, 43-54, 77-87, 104-105, 110-125, 170-189
Spufford, P., Money and its Use in Medieval Europe (Cambridge, 1988), pp. 109-186, and 225-266
Plant, R., Arabic Coins and How to Read Them (London, 1980), pp. 7-26, 32-48 &
9. HOARDS, METROLOGY, TECHNOLOGY AND MINT OUTPUT
Readings:
Casey, J. P., Understanding Ancient Coins (Norman, 1986), pp. 51-143
Bates, M., "The Frequency Table" (xerox from ANS)
Sellwood, D., "Some Experiments in Greek Minting Techniques,"NC 7, 3 (1963), 97-106
Sellwood, D., "Medieval Minting Techniques," BNJ 31 (1962), 7-65
Three Representative Hoards:
Price, J. M. and N. Waggoner, Archaic Greek Silver Coinage: The "Asyut Hoard" (London, 1977)
Besly, E. and R. Bland, The Cunetio Treasure: Roman Coinage in the Third Century A.D. (London, 1983)
Lowick, N. M., S. Bendall & P. D. Whitting, Then Mardin Hoard: Islamic Countermarks on Byzantine Folles (London, 1977)
10. PHOTOGRAPHY, CASTS AND CLEANING & PRESERVING COINS
Readings:
Brady, J., "Cleaning Ancient Coins," (xerox from ANS)
Bates, M., "Making of Plaster Casts of Coins" (xerox from ANS)
11. PRACTICAL EXERCISES: IDENTIFYING COINS ON SITES
Readings:
Casey, J. P., Understanding Ancient Coins (Norman, 1986), pp. 144-153