A Cultural History of Money in Antiquity

Bloomsbury Publishing, Stefan Krmnicek

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9781350363816
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781350253384
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Economic History
• Index: History

The origins of the modern, Western concept of money can be traced back to the earliest electrum coins that were produced in Asia Minor in the seventh century BCE. While other forms of currency (shells, jewelry, silver ingots) were in widespread use long before this, the introduction of coinage aided and accelerated momentous economic, political, and social developments such as long-distance trade, wealth creation (and the social differentiation that followed from that), and the financing of military and political power. Coinage, though adopted inconsistently across different ancient societies, became a significant marker of identity and became embedded in practices of religion and superstition. And this period also witnessed the emergence of the problems of money - inflation, monetary instability, and the breakup of monetary unions - which have surfaced repeatedly in succeeding centuries.

Drawing upon a wealth of visual and textual sources, A Cultural History of Money in Antiquity presents essays that examine key cultural case studies of the period on the themes of technologies, ideas, ritual and religion, the everyday, art and representation, interpretation, and the issues of the age.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Notes on Contributors
• Series Preface
• Introduction: Money Made the Ancient World Go Around
• 1 Money and its Technologies: Production, Distribution, and Impact
• 2 Money and its Ideas: State Control and Military Expenses
• 3 Money, Ritual, and Religion: Noneconomic Qualities of Coinage
• 4 Money and the Everyday: Multiple Moneys for Multiple Users
• 5 Money, Art, and Representation: A Look at the Roman World
• 6 Money and its Interpretation: Archaeological and Anthropological Perspectives
• 7 Money and the Issues of the Age: Power, Contact, and Identity
• Bibliography
• Index