Coinage In The Roman World

In Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700, noted classicist and numismatist Kenneth W. Harl brings together these two fields in the first comprehensive history of how Roman coins were minted and used.

Originally published in 1986, this book takes a fresh look at the development and use of coinage in the Roman world, from the third century BC to the break-up of the Empire in the fifth century AD. The emphasis is upon interpretation of the coins rather than description of types, focusing on both how and why they were circulated, and how they can illuminate the historical and economic background. An introduction to the beginnings of Roman coinage is followed by two main sections, covering the denarius system of 200 BC to AD 250 and the coinage of the late Empire of AD 250 to 400. Individual chapters describe the organisation and control of the coinage, the monetary history of each period, the relationship of coinage and inflation, and the use of designs as imperial propaganda or symbols of Christianity. A particular feature is the integration of the coinage of the eastern provinces into the discussion of the Empire as a whole. A final section describes the end of Roman coinage with the disintegration of the Empire in the fifth century AD. Collectors of Roman coins, social and economic historians and all those interested in Roman history will find this a source of valuable information and a lucid survey of a complex historical subject.

Coin Hoards and Hoarding in the Roman World presents fourteen chapters from an interdisciplinary group of Roman numismatists, historians, and archaeologists, discussing coin hoarding in the Roman Empire from c. 30 BC to AD 400. The book illustrates the range of research themes being addressed by those connected with the Coin Hoards of the Roman Empire Project, which is creating a database of all known Roman coin hoards from Augustus to AD 400. The volume also reflects the range of the Project's collaborations, with chapters on the use of hoard data to address methodological considerations or monetary history, and coverage of hoards from the west, centre, and east of the Roman Empire, essential to assess methodological issues and interpretations in as broad a context as possible. Chapters on methodology and metrology introduce statistical tools for analysing patterns of hoarding, explore the relationships between monetary reforms and hoarding practices, and address the question of value, emphasizing the need to consider the whole range of precious metal artefacts hoarded. Several chapters present regional studies, from Britain to Egypt, conveying the diversity of hoarding practices across the Empire, the differing methodological challenges they face, and the variety of topics they illuminate. The final group of chapters examines the evidence of hoarding for how long coins stayed in circulation, illustrating the importance of hoard evidence as a control on the interpretation of single coin finds, the continued circulation of Republican coins under the Empire, and the end of the small change economy in Northern Gaul.

Information on the rarity of each type, including estimates of their value when first published in 2000, are presented in a separate table. The numerous, though less precisely understood, local coinages of the Imperatorial period are listed in an extensive appendix.

A broadly-illustrated overview of the contemporary state of Greco-Roman numismatic scholarship.

Coins were the most deliberate of all symbols of public communal identities, yet the Roman historian will look in vain for any good introduction to, or systematic treatment of, the subject. Sixteen leading international scholars have sought to address this need by producing this authoritative collection of essays, which ranges over the whole Roman world from Britain to Egypt, from 200 BC to AD 300. The subject is approached through surveys of the broad geographical and chronological structure of the evidence, through chapters which focus on ways of expressing identity, and through regional studies which place the numismatic evidence in local context.

First Published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Like other volumes in this series, Ancient History from Coins demystifies a specialism, introducing students (from first year upwards) to the techniques, methods, problems and advantages of using coins to do ancient history. Coins are a fertile source of information for the ancient historian; yet too often historians are uneasy about using them as evidence because of the special problems attaching to their interpretation. The world of numismatics is not always easy for the non-specialist to penetrate or understand with confidence. Dr Howgego describes and anlyses the main contributions the study of coins can make to ancient history, showing shows through numerous examples how the character, patterns and behaviour of coinage bear on major historical themes. Topics range from state finance and economic policy to imperial domination and political propaganda through coins types. The period covered by the book is from the invention of coinage (ca 600BC) to AD 400.

A richly-illustrated introduction to the various ways in which coins can help illuminate the history of the Roman republic.

The third volume of the fully revised and expanded general catalogue of Roman coins extends coverage of the Imperial series from the accession of Maximinus I in AD 235 down to the assassination of Carinus and the accession of Diocletian half a century later. This turbulent period, during which the Empire came close to total collapse and disintegration, witnessed great changes in the Imperial coinage including unprecedented debasement and the beginning of the decentralization of the mint system.