ANCIENT NUMISMATICS

The course is one of the basic educational activities characterizing the Bachelor's Degree Programme in History. It has the purpose to guarantee to the students the knowledge of processes related to the monetary history of Antiquity, of the methodology of research in Numismatics, of the lexicon of the subject and to make students acquire skills as critical approach to issues in the understanding of causal relations and in the analysis of sources; scientific transmission of the acquired knowledges; habit to complex issues and their consequences.
The disciplinary and methodological purpose of the course is: being aware of the main issues related to the monetary history of the ancient world; knowing chronological issues, historical events and understanding their causes; developing the principles and methods of numismatic research; being able to comprehend the relations between political, institutional, economical, social, artistic and religious dynamics; applying the methodology of historical reconstruction in numismatic studies with particular focus on the exegesis of numismatic material (coins); acquiring the basic lexicon of Numismatics.
The reachment of these objectives guarantees to the student the cultural, disciplinary, methodological knowledge for Master courses fitting the Bachelor ‘s Degree and to insert in the world of work in didactical, cultural, organizational, divulgation and communication-linked field.

Active participation in lectures and individual study will enable students to develop the following abilities and competencies, articulated according to the Dublin descriptors:
- Knowledge and Understanding: knowledge and comprehension of specific problems and themes in Numismatics; understanding of theories and models for interpreting ancient coins.
- Applying Knowledge and Understanding: ability to use acquired data to contextualize problems and themes of Numismatics in space and time; ability to understand and thematize an ancient coin; ability to evaluate tools essential for numismatic research.
- Making Judgements: ability to understand and interpret numismatic material based on acquired knowledge and skills.
- Communication Skills: ability to organize topics with clarity; to make connections and synthesize events; ability to use the specific lexicon of the discipline.
- Learning Skills: ability to apply learning outcomes to unfamiliar contexts.

For any questions, students are encouraged to contact the professor.

There is no disciplinary requirement. A good knowledge of italian language is necessary. A good knowledge of ancient history is desirable.

The course will provide an outline of the most relevant aspects of the monetary history in the ancient world, focusing on origin and first development of coinage and on use of coins in the ancient societies; formal features of ancient coins, cataloguing ancient coins, technical factors of production, classes of coinages, institutional context, monetary circulation, and coin finds are discussed.
Students who will not attend lessons will study the same contents and the lessons’s subjects will be substituted with the study of texts shown in the bibliography.

Required texts:
- class notes;
- A. SAVIO, Monete Romane, Roma, Edizioni Jouvence, 2001 or 2014 (or, Milano, Libraccio editore, 2012);
- F. BARELLO, Archeologia della moneta: produzione e utilizzo nell'antichità, Roma, Carocci, 2006
Additional materials (e.g. pictures, documents) will be distributed in class.

Students who cannot attend classes must contact the course tutor beforehand.
Literature in English, French, Spanish, or German can be provided to foreign students upon request.

The written exam consists of eight questions: two are essay questions, five are short answers questions, while the last consists of some multiple choice questions.
The exam’s aim is to ensure the acquisition of the basic knowledge of the subject, of the abilities to synthesize information, of the use of a proper scientific terminology.
Each answer is judged according to a scale of thirty points, and the final mark is the result of the average of the points earned for each answer.
The exam lasts two hours.
The exam’s aim is to ensure the acquisition of the basic knowledge of the subject, both connected to factual events and to the analysis of causes, of the abilities to synthesize information, of the use of a proper scientific terminology. The exam’s purpose is to verify the acquisition of abilities as the capacity to apply the subject’s methodology and sketch out an effective communication strategy: transmission of scientific contents, ability to draw together, selection of contents, use of specific lexicon. The exam verifies the skills in creating a hierarchy of the information with personal critical judgment; in dealing with complex problems; in arguing about basic scientific issues.

Assessment Grid:
28-30L: excellent mastery of the topics covered in class and in the textbooks; excellent ability to prioritize information; appropriate use of technical terminology of the discipline;
26-27: good knowledge of the topics covered in class and in the textbooks; good ability to organize and present information; generally correct use of the technical terminology of the discipline;
24-25: fair knowledge of the topics covered in class and in the textbooks; fair ability to organize information; use of technical terminology of the discipline not always correct;
22-23: occasionally superficial and/or incomplete knowledge of the topics covered in class and in the textbooks; presentation not always clear and/or lacking in technical terminology of the discipline;
18-21: occasionally incomplete knowledge of the topics covered in class and in the textbooks, but still sufficient; presentation not clear and/or lacking and/or with scarce use of the technical terminology of the discipline.

Regular class sessions. Class attendance is highly recommended.
Booklet and research and self-evaluation material can be found in the Ca’ Foscari e-learning Moodle platform.

Italian

Students who cannot attend classes must contact the teacher beforehand.

written