MONETARY HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT WORLD

The course is one of the core educational activities characterizing the Master’s Degree Programme in Ancient Civilizations: Literatures, History and Archaeology.
It has the purpose to guarantee to the students the advanced knowledge of monetary history in antiquity and ancient numismatics through the in-depth study of research techniques and of a specific topic in the monetary history of the ancient world; the knowledge of the methodology of research in ancient numismatics; the knowledge of the lexicon of the subject. It intends to guarantee the acquisition of cognitive abilities as sketch out a scientific research and practical abilities as be able to hand the results of scientific research over through the scientific communication. The students will develop research and didactical skills in the subject and acquire skills as critical approach during the evaluation of information and news, and understanding of events and cultural processes crucial in the constitution of the occidental identity.
The attainment of these goals assures to the student the cultural, disciplinary, methodological knowledge to enter the world of work in didactical, cultural, divulgation and communication-linked fields, according to his academic curriculum.

Attending the course and the seminar and practicing individual study allow students to acquire specific knowledge: the methodology of numismatic research, the deep knowledge of monetary history in the ancient world, the lexicon of the subject. Attending the course will also make students acquire these cognitive abilities: to apply the research's methodology with particular focus on the monetary history of the ancient world; to interpret ancient coins according to different perspectives (economic, political, social, artistic etc.); to be able to understand the facts related to ancient coinage in their historical context without modernize. The course will make students acquire these practical abilities: to recognize and interpret ancient coins; to sketch out a scientific research and be able to convey the results as a scientific communication selecting the contents, the ways of communication, the time. The students will acquire these skills: to know how to interpret historical phenomena related to ancient coinage; to know how to employ a critical approach toward the information sources; to interpret correctly economic and monetary practices of ancient world.

There is no disciplinary requirement. It is useful (but not necessary) some previous knowledge of numismatics.
Foreign students are invited to contact the course tutor beforehand.

Through an ample introduction to the advanced methods in numismatic research and an exemplification made by the teacher and presentations by students, the course will examine aspects of the monetary history of the ancient world; particular attention will be dedicated to interpretation of numismatic sources and monetary uses in the ancient world.
The course topic is: "Coinage between the Orient and the Occident: the development of coinage in the Persian empire and in the Greek cities (6th-4th c. BC)": the course will study the origin of coinage in Asia Minor and the monetary history of the Persian and Greek world from 6th to 4th century BC.
A specific research topic will be assigned to each participant.

- Class notes (slides and other materials will be available on e-learnig plattform Moodle);
- M. Alram, "The Coinage of the Persian Empire", in William E. Metcalf (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Coinage, Oxford 2012, pp. 61-87
- J. Bodzek, "Remarks on the Origins of Achaemenid Satrapic Coinages" in D. Kašparová (ed.), Folia numismatica 28/1, Supplementum ad Acta Musei Moraviae, Scientiae sociales XCIX 2014, Brno 2014, pp. 3-10 (available at https://www.academia.edu )
- C. Tuplin, “The changing pattern of Achaemenid imperial coinage”, in P.Bernholz & R.Vaubel (edd.), Explaining Monetary and Financial Innovation (Cham, Heidelberg, New York, Dordrecht & London, 2014), 127-168. (available at https://www.academia.edu )
- M.F. Baslez, "La circulation et le rôle des dariques en Grèce d’Europe à la fin du Ve et au IVe siècles", in «Revue des Études Anciennes», 91, 1989, pp. 237–246.
- Further literature will be given in class.

FOR NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
- M. Alram, "The Coinage of the Persian Empire", in William E. Metcalf (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Coinage, Oxford 2012, pp. 61-87
- J. Bodzek, "Remarks on the Origins of Achaemenid Satrapic Coinages" in D. Kašparová (ed.), Folia numismatica 28/1, Supplementum ad Acta Musei Moraviae, Scientiae sociales XCIX 2014, Brno 2014, pp. 3-10 (available at https://www.academia.edu )
- C. Tuplin, “The changing pattern of Achaemenid imperial coinage”, in P.Bernholz & R.Vaubel (edd.), Explaining Monetary and Financial Innovation (Cham, Heidelberg, New York, Dordrecht & London, 2014), 127-168. (available at https://www.academia.edu )
- M.F. Baslez, "La circulation et le rôle des dariques en Grèce d’Europe à la fin du Ve et au IVe siècles", in «Revue des Études Anciennes», 91, 1989, pp. 237–246.
- I. Carradice, "The ‘regal’ coinage of the Persian Empire", in I. Carradice (Ed.), Coinage and administration in the Athenian and Persian Empires, Oxford: British Archaeological Reports, 1987, pp. 73-108. (a copy of this article is avaible on request)
- D. Stronach, "Early Achaemenid coinage: Perspectives from the homeland", «Iranica Antiqua», 24, 1989, pp. 255–279.
- A. Zournatzi, "The Apadana coin hoards, Darius I, and the West", in «American Journal of Numismatics», 15, 2003, pp. 1–28.

All foreign students are invited to contact the course tutor beforehand in order to discuss their study programmes for individual assessment.

Each student is evaluated according to three categories of examination: an oral exam on the topics developed during the course and on the referral texts; during seminar, the individual oral exposition of a research theme assigned by course tutor at the beginning of the course; the writing of an essay on the same research theme that should be sent to the course tutor before the exam
Through these exam the teacher verifies:
1) knowledge: acquisition of fundamental concepts and scientific lexicon of the subject and the methodology of numismatic research;
2) cognitive abilities: the application of the methodology of historical research with particular focus on the use of numismatic sources and on critical approach on bibliography about monetary history of the ancient world; the ability of analysis of historical processes related to ancient coinage and economy; practical abilities: identification and cataloguing of ancient artefacts (coins); communicative abilities, for the public history and scientific communication (selecting the contents, the ways of communication, the time)
3) skills: capability to analyze reality and information and to increase critical awareness of peculiarity of each historical period as for monetary history.
Each category of examination 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 examination.

All foreign students are invited to contact the course tutor beforehand in order to discuss their study programmes for individual assessment.

Classes will be conducted as seminars, so that all students will have the opportunity to participate in class presentations. A specific research topic will be assigned to each participant. Ancient sources and further readings that will help students prepare their presentation will be provided in class.

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Class attendance is highly recommended; students who cannot attend classes must contact the teacher beforehand.

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