Notice Board

The Department of History Colloquium Series presents:

Coins and the Archaeologist
by Dr. Robert Weir, Associate Professor of Greek and Roman Studies, University of Windsor

Thursday, Oct. 27 | 4 p.m.
University Hall B660

Coins and the Archaeologist

They say that money talks, and coins do indeed have their stories to tell. This is certainly true in the case of coins recovered from archaeological excavations, especially excavations of sites otherwise little known to history. Excavated coins are seldom things of beauty and were in any case the small change that their erstwhile owners could afford to drop and lose. However, there is much that one can learn from these humble artifacts. In decades past, excavation coins were merely dating markers, but methodological approaches are changing, and I will present some examples from my personal experience. Since 1999, I have had the opportunity to work on the coin assemblages from four sites in Greece (Stymphalos, Mytilene, Helike, and Kenchreai) and one in Cyprus (Polis Chrysochous). In each case, the numismatic finds have added a new dimension to our understanding of its site. In this presentation I will sketch the profile of each site from the coins' point of view. Unusual or valuable pieces often corner scholarly interest, but there are also lessons to be drawn from abundant and mediocre pieces. It is therefore all the more surprising, and disappointing, that few numismatic assemblages from the Greek world have been published to date.

Co-sponsored by The Classical Association of Canada