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.

A thematic overview of the role and impact of money on society and culture in the period of Antiquity.

About the Author
Stefan Krmnicek is Professor of Ancient Numismatics at the University of Tubingen, Germany.


Book Information
ISBN 9781350363816
Author Dr. Stefan Krmnicek
Format Paperback
Page Count 216
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC