Clare Rowan

In her foundational study of Neolithic clay tokens, the renowned archaeologist Denise Schmandt-Besserat identified that different token shapes represented different goods and were used in accounting and distribution. When these tokens came to be stored in sealed clay envelopes (likely representing a debt), each token was impressed on the outside of the envelope before being placed inside (thus allowing people to see quickly what was within). Three-dimensional objects were thus reduced to two-dimensional representations, the first form of writing (and contributing to cuneiform script). These clay envelopes in turn developed into pictographic tablets; here each token did not have to be impressed into the clay in a 'one, one, one' system, but instead quantity was indicated by a numerical symbol - abstract number was born. Much of Schmandt-Besserat’s work can be found online at https://sites.utexas.edu/dsb/. Her book ‘How Writing Came About’ was listed by American Scientist magazine as one of the 100 books that shaped science in the 20th century, and she remains an active expert on all things ‘token’.

The provincial coinage of the Roman Empire has proven to be a rich source for studying civic experiences of Roman rule, but the coins struck outside Rome during the expansion of the Roman Republic have, by contrast, received relatively little attention. This article aims to begin redressing this neglect by exploring the active rôle of coinage in conceptualizing and representing Roman Republican power. A variety of approaches to this neglected material are employed in order to highlight its potential as a source. Ambiguity, iconology, and entanglement are used as frameworks to explore case studies from across the Roman Republican world, from Spain to Syria. This approach to coin imagery under the Republic reveals the complexity and variety in which the Roman presence, and Roman imperium, was represented before the advent of the Principate.

Work in anthropology has highlighted the important role of currencies as media of commensuration between different cultural and value systems in colonial and imperial contexts. More recently, analysis has turned to the iconography of these ‘colonial currencies’ and their significance. The iconography of a ‘colonial currency’ can reflect the dominant authority’s vision of their empire and their new colony, and can also carry local reactions to colonial domination. In this article, this anthropological understanding of iconography is applied to two case studies in the late Republic: Corinth and Dyme. Both were colonies in Achaea founded at the end of the Republic, and an examination of their iconography demonstrates the applicability of an anthropological framework to ancient numismatic iconography. Differences in imagery between the two cities demonstrate the diversity of the Roman colonial process, while similarities demonstrate developments in Republican conceptions of power as the Roman empire moved towards the principate.

This paper re-examines the ‘commemorative medallions’ of Antoninus Pius, a series of medallions showing the early history of Rome. It is suggested that these pieces should be seen not in a Saecular Games context but as a continuation of Hadrianic precedent, probably connected with the construction of the Temple of Venus and Rome. These medallions represent a wider imperial emphasis on the distant past under both Hadrian and Antoninus Pius, an interest that we observe in other coin types, public building works and perhaps also works of literature. A detailed examination of these Pius medallions reveals that their iconography was drawn from earlier types, and that they in turn inspired later imagery. This phenomenon reveals a certain intertextuality in numismatic language, and suggests that coin imagery did not merely grace Rome’s currency, but was recorded and was accessible to later generations. These medallions, truly ‘monuments in miniature’, reveal a new understanding of Pius’ reign and his (self-)presentation as Hadrian’s successor.

This article traces the effect of the entangled network of relations between the eastern and western Mediterranean on the introduction and development of coinage in the west. Particular focus is given to the role of Athenian owls and Corinthian-style pegasi within Sicily and Magna Graecia. Coinages from the eastern Mediterranean affected the type, form and fabric of coinage adopted by cities in the west, and formed a source of bullion for new coins. The significant number of Corinthian-style pegasi travelling to Sicily and Magna Graecia over a long period of time suggests that the presence of these coinages in the region should be linked to trade, and that eastern Greek coins were traded as a commodity for their silver content in exchange for grain and other goods. The legacy of Alexander the Great and then the gradual rise of Rome from the mid-third century BCE disturbed this network, but nonetheless it is likely that eastern coinages (now the issues of Hellenistic kings) continued to form a source of bullion for the west, which was increasingly controlled by Rome and Roman currency.

Given that few ancient accounts of the reign of Antoninus Pius survive from antiquity, other monuments, in particular coinage, become important in reconstructing his reign. In this article coin hoards are used to reconstruct a quantitative understanding of Pius's numismatic imagery. It is clear from the results that the three different coin metals (gold, silver and aes) differed in their messages: while gold coinage emphasized the imperial family and the concept of pietas, silver and aes coinage focused on the emperor's concern for the grain supply (annona). This broad understanding of Pius's numismatic image is supplemented by more detailed analysis of coin iconography in particular years. The liberalitas and Britannia series of Pius are explored in depth. The study highlights coinage's role as one imperial monument among many, contributing to the communication of imperial ideologies. It is clear that the image of Pius as a virtuous emperor ruling in a ‘Golden Age’ was one cultivated by the imperial bureaucracy, and so it is not surprising that the concept features in the preserved texts. The long-term impact of Pius's coinage is also considered. In the absence of significant quantities of aes coinage struck by the Severans, the coinage of Pius continued to be of importance in many regions throughout the third century, conveying impressions of Empire among users well after the emperor's death.Dato che pochi resoconti antichi del regno di Antonino Pio sopravvivono dall'antichità, altri monumenti, in particolare le monete, diventano importanti nella ricostruzione del suo regno. Nell'articolo le raccolte monetali sono usate per ricostruire un patrimonio di informazioni sull'immaginario numismatico di Antonino Pio. È chiaro dai risultati raggiunti che tre differenti metalli usati (oro, argento e aes) differivano per i messaggi contenuti: mentre la monetazione d'oro enfatizzava la famiglia imperiale e il concetto di pietas, la monetazione d'argento e di aes si concentrava sull'interesse imperiale verso il rifornimento granario (annona). Questa ampia visione dell'immagine numismatica di Antonino Pio è integrata da un'analisi più dettagliata dell'iconografia numismatica in anni particolari. La serie liberalitas e britanniche di Antonino Pio sono esplorate in profondità. Lo studio sottolinea il ruolo delle monete come uno dei monumeti imperiali tra i tanti, contribuendo alla comunicazione delle ideologie imperiali. È chiaro che l'immagine di Antonino Pio come imperatore virtuoso che agiva in un'‘Età d'oro’ fu tra quelle coltivate dalla burocrazia imperiale e così non è una sorpresa che il concetto sia mostrato nei testi conservati. Viene preso in considerazione anche l'impatto sul lungo termine della coniazione di Antonino Pio. In assenza di significative quantità di monete di aes battute dai Severi, la monetazione di Antonino Pio continuò ad essere importante in molte regioni nel corso del III secolo, comunicando impressioni dell'Impero tra coloro che le usavano ancora molto dopo la morte dell'imperatore

Coinage remains one of the best resources from which to gain an insight into the public image of empresses in the Roman Empire. This article employs a quantitative approach to the coinage of the Severan women, utilising coin hoards to gain an idea of the frequency of particular coin types. The result offers a nuanced and contextual assessment of the differing public images of the Severan empresses and their role within wider Severan ideology. Evidence is presented to suggest that in this period there was one workshop at the mint dedicated to striking coins for the empresses. The Severan women played a key connective role in the dynasty, a position communicated publicly through their respective numismatic images. By examining the dynasty as a whole, subtle changes in image from empress to empress and from reign to reign can be identified. During the reign of Elagabalus, the divergence in imagery between Julia Soaemias and Julia Maesa is so great that we can perhaps see the influence of these women on their own numismatic image.