The Functions and Use of Roman Coinage: An Overview of 21st Century Scholarship(Brill Research Perspectives in Ancient History)

In this publication Fleur Kemmers gives an overview of 21st century scholarship on Roman coinage for students and scholars in the fields of ancient history and Roman archaeology. First, it addresses the study of numismatics as a discipline and the theoretical and methodological advances of the last decades. Secondly, it provides guidelines on how to consult numismatic reference works, including those available online. Recent scholarly approaches and insights in the functions of Roman coins as both vehicles of political communication and instruments for state payments are critically assessed. Furthermore, the publication reviews the evidence for a conscious monetary policy on the part of the Roman authorities. Finally, the impact of Roman expansion and imperialism on monetisation and coin use in Rome´s Empire is discussed.

Table of Contents:
The Functions and Use of Roman Coinage: An Overview of 21st Century Scholarship  Fleur Kemmers  Abstract  Keywords  1 Introduction  2 Methodological, Theoretical, and Technological Developments  3 Structuring the Material  4 Coins as a Means of Communication  5 Coins as Monetary Instruments  6 Use of Coinage  7 Concluding Remarks  Acknowledgements  References

About the Author :
Fleur Kemmers, Ph.D. (2005), Radboud University Nijmegen, is Professor of Coinage and Money in the Graeco-Roman World at Goethe University Frankfurt a.M. She has published widely on use and functions of Roman coinage, and on methodological and theoretical approaches in numismatics.

Review :
"The volume is clearly written and contains high quality colour illustrations. In a piece of such small size it is difficult to cover all scholarship in the field, but Kemmers does an admirable job in presenting a picture of Roman numismatics as it was in 2019. (...) this essay offers a readable and detailed introduction to scholarship on a wide range of developments within Roman numismatics; scholars beginning research in the field would do well to begin their reading here." - Clare Rowan, University of Warwick, in: Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2021.02.17 "At the outset, I can only strongly recommend that anyone with an interest in the Roman world should read this work. This excellent book should be required reading for anyone embarking on historical or archaeological research in the Roman world. It will stand alongside such works as P. Grierson’s Numismatics (1975), J. Casey’s Understanding Ancient Coins (1987) and C. Howgego’s Ancient History from Coins (1995), in addition to numerous works on applied numismatics by R. Reece, largely summarised in Roman Coins and Archaeology (2003). K. has shown that numismatics has risen to many of the challenges set by Jones in 1956 and can no longer be regarded as a merely peripheral subject of occasional utility to the Classicist, historian and archaeologist." - Sam Moorhead, in: The Classical Review 71.2 580–582 ''With this volume, Kemmers has ensured that the results of many exciting new studies will be brought to the attention of scholars both within the numismatic community and in the wider disciplines of archaeology and history, a laudable initiative that hopefully continues to gain momentum to inspire similar studies in the future.'' - Marta Barbato, in: Latomus vol. 79.3 (2020) ''Kemmers’ survey is lucid and does an excellent job in drawing out from the flurry of competing publications the overall themes and directions driving the field.'' - James Corke-Webster, in: Greece & Rome 68.1: 135-148 (April 2021)