Coinage in Roman Egypt
The Hoard Evidence
A part of the subject area Classical studies
More about the book
About the book
Durable and iconic, coins are some of the most revealing everyday
objects left to us from the ancient world. For the most part,
however, they have been considered the special domain of
numismatists, who typically seek to assemble as many varieties as
possible. But in focusing on the rarities that form a collection's
highlights, numismatists slight contextual clues to economic
history and the daily use of coins as money.
In this volume, Erik Christiansen uses Alexandrian coin hoards -
meaning finds of at least two coins buried together - to explore
the use of money in Egypt from its conquest by Augustus in 30 BC to
Diocletian's currency reform in AD 296.
Although these finds, with their wide array of Graeco-Roman and
Alexandrian reverses, have traditionally been classified as a part
of Greek coinage, he demonstrates clearly that they belong to the
Roman imperial coinage. The hoards also show that Roman Egypt
enjoyed a widespread monetized economy, in addition to the credit
system described in extant papyri. The relative abundance of such
documents provides Christiansen with a good supplemental source of
information for his conclusions. And since financial administration
probably was quite uniform throughout the Empire, this book
provides a useful window not only on Rome's shifting economic
fortunes, but also on monetary policy in other parts of the Empire
that did not leave behind the same rich heritage of coins and
documents as Egypt.
Table of contents
Excerpt
Press reviews
Bo Dahl Hermansen, Papyrus
"Det lykkedes f.eks. efter anmelderens mening forfatteren at tegne et nuanceret billede af skiftende kejseres motiver for at udstede nye mønter i Egypten."
"[...] et vægtigt indlæg i forskningsdiskussionen omkring romerrigets, og dermed oldtidens, økonomiske historie."
Andrew Burnett, The Numismatic Chronicle
"The strength of the book is that it draws much of [Erik] Christiansen's, and indeed others', scholarships together in one place [...]"
Dr. Ernst Gölitzer, Geldgeschichtliche Nachrichten
"Dass Christiansen zum angelsächsischen Sprach- und Forschungsbereich gehört, wirkt sich positiv af das Werk durch Unbefangenheit und anekdotische Auflockerung dess Stoffes aus. Das Buch ist typographisch ansprechend gestaltet, studienfreundlich af dickem Papier gedruckt und wirkungsvoll illustriert."
