(Week 2) Thursday 30th January
Oxford University Numismatic Society Graduate Circus
Speakers:
Tom Gavin (MSt Greek and/or Roman History)
Edward Iles (DPhil Ancient History)
Ben Thorne (MPhil Greek and/or Roman History)
(Week 4) Thursday 13th February
'Athens, Daskyleion, and the Kyzikene Electrum Stater' - Dr Leah Lazar (Corpus Christi College, Oxford)
Abstract In this paper I will investigate how 5th century BC Athenian power operated in the regional context of the Turkish Straits - a fragmented landscape at the edge of the Athenian Aegean, contested by the Persian satrap at Daskyleion, as well as by Greek subject cities. In particular I will focus on one subject community, Kyzikos, and its unusual numismatic output - its long-lived and prolific production of electrum staters - as a means of exploring Athenian fiscal strategy and overlapping Athenian and Achaemenid claims in the Straits.
(Week 6) Thursday 27th February
Annual General Meeting
'The Sources of Silver in 9th Century Anglo-Saxon Coinage' - Dr Jane Kershaw (School of Archaeology, University of Oxford)
Abstract During the ninth century, Anglo-Saxon kings minted a large number of silver coins. The coins' design, weight, iconography, and mints have been studied in detail for decades, yet one vital question remains: where did their silver come from? It is normally assumed that Anglo-Saxon coins were made by melting down foreign coinage that arrived in England from the Continent, and is thus closely coupled to cross-Channel trade. But such a hypothesis has never been tested scientifically. In this talk, I present the results of recent lead isotope and trace element analysis of 9th century coinage from the collection of the British Museum. The results suggest that silver sources were more complex, and raises the possibility that Anglo-Saxon kings were exploiting mineral resources in their own kingdoms.
(Week 8) Thursday 12th March
Meeting cancelled due to Coronavirus pandemic.
