Gods, Goddesses and Flying Horses: A History of Coins in Ancient Greece
Instructor: J. Edward Taylor, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
Description: This proposed Freshman Seminar will explore the evolution of Greek coinage, or numismatics, as commerce and other human activities expanded around the Mediterranean. It will also explore ancient numismatic research methods; the archeological content of ancient coin hoards; numismatic art; the influence of ancient Greece on contemporary coins; the effects of government policies on the preservation of numismatic material and the information it provides; numismatic ethics; and the modern-day business of ancient numismatics, which has been transformed by the internet.
It has been my experience that few students have any knowledge of the origins of coinage, ancient economies, or the relationship between the two. The goal of this seminar will be to open students’ minds to this fascinating era in the history of numismatics and economics. One thing that makes ancient numismatics unique is the way in which it integrates art and economics. Ancient die makers included some of the finest artists of the time, to such an extent that in some cases (particularly in the Greek city states of present-day Sicily), some artists signed their dies. This is not an art class; however, the development of art on coins through the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods will be an important part of the curriculum.
Format: Two hours of class meetings and discussion per week will include slide shows, examination of ancient numismatic references (many now rare) published by the British Museum and major university presses (Oxford, Cambridge), ancient coin auction materials and websites, research and discussion. I anticipate being able to introduce students to a few actual specimens of ancient Greek coins from Northern California collections, to have them experiment with mock coin production, and possibly to have a noted numismatist as a guest lecturer. I do not expect there to be required activities outside regularly scheduled contact hours. Optional attendance at the 2008 San Francisco Historical Bourse ancient coin show scheduled for May. There will be some outside readings, a mock internet auction, weekly “digital coin hoards,” and perhaps a small group project for which students may wish to meet outside of class. Grading: Grading will be based on an individual and group project and on classroom participation. Each student will select an ancient city-state and become the “class expert” on its economy, history and coinage, write a short paper, and informally share findings with the class over the course of the quarter. Interactions among city-states were important in shaping ancient history as well as numismatics. In a small group project, 3-4 students will explore economic, political, and/or artistic influences among their chosen mints, seek to identify an interesting theme, and present their conclusions to the class as part of an oral group presentation at the end of the quarter. Students will also participate in a mock on-line ancient coin auction, assembling materials on one selected coin and how its characteristics are likely to affect its realized price. (This will be contingent upon there being a sufficiently important auction, preferably in the second half of the quarter when students will have the information to make informed judgments.)
About the Instructor: J. Edward Taylor is Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics, where he teaches courses on international development economics and econometric methods. He has written more than 100 articles and books about economic development, sustainability, and international migration, and he is a specialist in the study of village economies. As an undergraduate his major was, for a time, ancient classics. He is a member of the American Numismatic Society and, together with his 12-year-old son Julian, a student of ancient coins. His paper “Valuing the Numismatic Legacy of Alexander the Great” is forthcoming in the January 2008 issue of the journal of ancient and medieval coinage, The Celator. He is listed in the 2004 edition of Who’s Who in Economics. He has advised foreign governments, including those of Mexico, Canada, Honduras, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic, and international development agencies, including The United Nations and The World Bank, on matters related to economic development, and has given invited lectures at universities around the world, from Germany to China. His website is http://www.agecon.ucdavis.edu/Faculty/Ed.T/Taylor.html.