Video: Slow Numismatics I - The Coinage Of Potidaia And Spartolos In The Classical Period

American Numismatic Society - For precise mint attribution, date, typology, and historical interpretation, numismatists with extensive knowledge are essential while cataloguing coins. Catalogues, handbooks, and databases have provided a somewhat complete typology that has enabled quick identification for the past several centuries, especially in the field of ancient money. This effectiveness, though, occasionally has a price: the capacity to notice and decipher minute differences in individual coins is frequently disregarded.

The executive director of Sydney F. Martin, Dr. Ute Wartenberg, will discuss how a more methodical approach, or what she calls "slow numismatics," might provide fresh perspectives on early currency. She will focus on one strong argument and offer proof that contradicts earlier attributions of a collection of ancient silver coins typically associated with Potidaia in the Chalkidike. After careful analysis, she contends that some of these coins actually come from the nearby city of Spartolos, which was not known to have a mint in antiquity. The historical background of the Delian League, of which Spartolos was a member in the fifth century BCE, and our comprehension of regional currency are both significantly impacted by this reevaluation.



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