Author: Kevin ButcherPublisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107027128
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 841
Book Description
A new account of the role of coinage in the finances and economy of the Roman Empire.
Author: Kevin Butcher
Author: The Metallurgy of Roman Silver Coinage
Author: Kevin ButcherPublisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316060896
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 841
Book Description
The fineness of Roman imperial and provincial coinage has been regarded as an indicator of the broader fiscal health of the Roman Empire, with the apparent gradual decline of the silver content being treated as evidence for worsening deficits and the contraction of the supply of natural resources from which the coins were made. This book explores the composition of Roman silver coinage of the first century AD, re-examining traditional interpretations in the light of an entirely new programme of analyses of the coins, which illustrates the inadequacy of many earlier analytical projects. It provides new evidence for the supply of materials and refining and minting technology. It can even pinpoint likely episodes of recycling old coins and, when combined with the study of hoards, hints at possible strategies of stockpiling of metal. The creation of reserves bears directly on the question of the adequacy of revenues and fiscal health.
Coin Hoards and Hoarding in the Roman World
Author: Jerome MairatPublisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198866380
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 369
Book Description
This volume presents fourteen chapters discussing coin hoarding in the Roman Empire from c. 30 BC to AD 400. The chapters cover topics including the statistics used to analyse patterns of hoarding, regional studies, and the evidence about monetary circulation in the Roman Empire provided by hoard discoveries.
Debasement
Author: Kevin ButcherPublisher: Oxbow Books
ISBN: 1789254019
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
The debasement of coinage, particularly of silver, was a common feature of pre-modern monetary systems. Most coinages were issued by state authorities and the condition of a coinage is often seen (rightly or wrongly) as an indicator of the broader fiscal health of the state that produced it. While in some cases the motives behind the debasements or reductions in standards are clear, in many cases the intentions of the issuing authorities are uncertain. Various explanations have been advanced: fiscal motives (such as a desire to profit or a to cover a deficit caused by the failure to balance expenditure and revenues); monetary motives (such as changing demand for coined money or a desire to maintain monetary stability in the face of changing values of raw materials or labour costs); pressure from groups within society that would profit from debasement; misconduct at the mint; or the decline of existing monetary standards due to circulation and wear of the coinage in circulation. Certain explanations have tended to gain favour with monetary historians of specific periods, partly reflecting the compartmentalization of scholarship. Thus the study of Roman debasements emphasizes fiscal deficits, whereas medievalists are often more prepared to consider monetary factors as contributing to debasements. To some extent these different approaches are a reflection of discrepancies in the amount of documentary evidence available for the respective periods, but the divide also underlines fundamentally different approaches to the function of coinage: Romanists have preferred to see coins as a medium for state payments; whereas medievalists have often emphasized exchange as an important function of currency. The volume is inter-disciplinary in scope. Apart from bringing together monetary historians of different periods, it also contains contributions from archaeometallurgists who have experience with the chemical and physical composition of coins and technical aspects of production of base alloys
Roman Imperial Coinage II.3
Author: Richard AbdyPublisher: Spink Books
ISBN: 191266755X
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 608
Book Description
The standard reference work for Roman Imperial coinage of Hadrian now occupies a fully revised and greatly expanded standalone volume to cover the last epoch of what many consider the apogee of Roman coinage – begun with Nero’s reform of AD 64 when great effort was taken over their iconographic designs. It is also a long overdue attempt to reconcile our increased 21st century understanding of this otherwise lightly documented reign of one of the key figures in Roman history. The rich symbolism of the reign is also expressed in prodigious issues of Hadrian’s medallic pieces, many covered in RIC for the first time.
The Functions and Use of Roman Coinage
Author: Fleur KemmersPublisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004413537
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 89
Book Description
In this publication Fleur Kemmers gives an overview of 21st century scholarship on Roman coinage for students and scholars in the fields of ancient history and Roman archaeology. First, it addresses the study of numismatics as a discipline and the theoretical and methodological advances of the last decades. Secondly, it provides guidelines on how to consult numismatic reference works, including those available online. Recent scholarly approaches and insights in the functions of Roman coins as both vehicles of political communication and instruments for state payments are critically assessed. Furthermore, the publication reviews the evidence for a conscious monetary policy on the part of the Roman authorities. Finally, the impact of Roman expansion and imperialism on monetisation and coin use in Rome ́s Empire is discussed.
Author: William E. MetcalfRecycling and Reuse in the Roman Economy
Author: Chloë N. DuckworthPublisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0198860846
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 507
Book Description
The recycling and reuse of materials and objects were extensive in the past, but have rarely been embedded into models of the economy: this volume is the first to explore these practices in the Roman economy, drawing on a variety of methodological approaches and new scientific developments in a wide-ranging interdisciplinary study.
