This edited collection analyses the phenomenon of coin use for religious and ritual purposes in different cultures and across different periods of time. It proposes an engagement with the theory and interpretation of the 'material turn' with numismatic evidence, and an evidence-based series of discussions to offer a fuller, richer and fresh account of coin use in ritual contexts. No extensive publication has previously foregrounded coins in such a model, despite the fact that coins constitute an integrated part of the material culture of most societies today and of many in the past. Here, interdisciplinary discussions are organised around three themes: coin deposit and ritual practice, the coin as economic object and divine mediator, and the value and meaning of coin offering. Although focusing on the medieval period in Western Europe, the book includes instructive cases from the Roman period until today. The collection brings together well-established and emerging scholars from archaeology, art history, ethnology, history and numismatics, and great weight is given to material evidence which can complement and contradict the scarce written sources.

About the Author

Nanouschka Myrberg Burstroem is Reader in Archaeology in the Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies at Stockholm University.

Gitte Tarnow Ingvardson is Curator of the Coin Cabinet at the Historical Museum, Lund University, and a PhD fellow at the Bornholm Museum and Copenhagen University.

Reviews

'... essential reading for all those interested in how coins are actually used by people in their daily lives' - David Yoon, American Numismatic Society (ANS Magazine, 4/2018)

'These material culture perspectives from the numismatic community make great strides not only in elucidation the human dynamic behind ritual coin deposition, but also in demonstrating the fruitfulness of a theoretically engaged approach.' - Jane Kershaw, British Numismatic Journal 2019

Book Information
ISBN 9781472485922
Author Nanouschka Myrberg Burstroem
Format Hardback
Page Count 276
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 580g