Ancient Coin Project created by Latin teacher Cathy Scaife for Photo by Doug Smith; http://dougsmith.ancients.info/ Ancient Coin Project created by Latin teacher Cathy Scaife for Ancient Coins for Education classroom attribution project.

Part II Production of Roman Coins Photo by Doug Smith; http://dougsmith.ancients.info/ Ancient Coin Project Part II Production of Roman Coins

The Making of a Coin: ---authority to issue and guarantee coin’s worth ---possession of metal ---ability to refine metal to desired purity ---tools/techniques to fabricate coin from metal

Possession of Metal

Ability to Refine Metals (Pliny, Natural History Bk. XXXIII) Alloy: the mixing of precious metals with base metals to create a usable material Electrum: natural alloy of gold and silver Bronze: alloy of copper and tin Silver Gold (rare)

Juno Moneta Tools and Techniques to Mint a Coin Roman goddess of the mint ---a temple to Juno Moneta was dedicated on the citadel of Rome In 344 B.C. ---an adjoining building contained the mint of Roman state.

The Making of a Coin: Mints in the Roman Empire

The Minting of Roman Coins ---casting in a mold ---striking

Cast Bronze Coinage: 5th c.- mid 2nd c. BCE 1. Aes rude, central Italy, 3rd c. 2. AE dolphin money, Olbia, 5-4th c. 3. Aes grave, wheel coins http://dougsmith.ancients.info/ 4. Tooth-shaped, Akragas, Sicily, 5th c. 5. Arrow or leaf ,6th-5th c.

Aes Grave Janus / Galley As (pl. Asses)

Striking: Making a Flan ancient coin mold funnel-shaped bronze for pouring liquid metal into cast

Striking: Making of a Flan ---cabo de barro (cob style) cookie dough style (chiseling the end off a rod) Severus Alexander ---hammering a bronze wire

The Making of a Coin: Tools/techniques to fabricate coin from metal ---flan ---dies (obverse & reverse) ---tongs ---striking process ---coin rotation Medieval Striking Rig (but set up is similar to a Roman rig)

A Coin Maker’s Tools

Display, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Much Slave Labor Required Celatores (signatores) = die engravers cut master die from which working dies were made; dies lasted for 10,000 – 50,000 strikes Suppostores = “placers” Malleatores = “strikers”

Dies Byzantine die Islamic die Byzantine coin

Forgers’ Dies 1-Sestertius 2-Mark Antony 3-Republican

Modern Die and Hub American Numismatic Association Museum, Colorado Springs

The Making of a Coin: Tools/techniques to fabricate coin from metal ---flan ---dies (obverse & reverse) ---tongs ---striking process ---coin rotation Medieval Striking Rig (but set up is similar to a Roman rig)

Coin Denominations Roman denominations during the Republic

Obverse (“heads”) CONSTANTIVS NOB CAES “Constantius Nobilissimus Caesar” Reverse (“tails”) GENIO POPVLI ROMANI “to the genius of the Roman people”

Attribution of the Images on the Coin

Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus Pontifex Maximus Tribunicia Potestas Imperator Pater Patriae “Caesar Augustus Nero Claudius, High Priest and Ruler of Rome and Germany, Supreme Commander of the armies of Rome, the father of his country, leader of the Triumviratefor as long as he shall live.”

Gold Coins: Fine Coin Craftsmanship Plantation Place, England

The Kentucky Quarter What similarities and differences do you see with ancient coins?

GOOFS Brockage: the result of a coin sticking in a die when a second coin gets struck.

GOOFS Clashed Dies: Dies are hammered together without a coin in place, so that the softer reverse die receives a partial impression of the obverse. 1.Clodius Albinus, AVG. from Lugdunum 2.Julia Domna denarii

SPECIAL TECHNIQUES: Silvering: technique of soaking coins in salt water to give them a silvery appearance Debasement: the weakening of currency by reducing the amount of precious metal content

SPECIAL TECHNIQUES Countermark: Small punch mark used by a mint to retariff a coin.

COUNTERFEITING ?? Baked Clay Molds used for casting Roman coins made of bronze

COUNTERFEITING Fouree: the coating of a copper coin with a silver wash. Serrated Edges: perhaps used to prove coin was not a fouree and edges not shaved

Image Sources Meshorer, Ya’akov. Coins of the Ancient World. Lerner Archaeology Series: Digging Up the Past. (Lerner Publications Company, Minneapolis, 1980). Russell, Solveig Paulson. From Barter to Gold: The Story of Money. (Rand McNally & Company, Chicago, 1961). Website by Doug Smith. http://dougsmith.ancients.info/ Website, American Numismatic Museum. www.money.org Other Images donated by supporters of Ancient Coins for Education, as listed at http://www.bitsofhistory.com/acc/CI.html