29626 - Numismatics (1) (LM)

Course contents

The course aims to outline the history of ancient Greek and Roman coinage, and of medieval coinages of Northern Italy. Some lessons (4/6 hours in total) will be devoted to the cataloging of ancient Roman republican and imperial coins.

The following topics will be covered during the course:

• Characteristics and contents of the discipline.
• Coins as historical sources.
• Coins as archaeological data: stray coins, coins in layers, coin hoards; dating criteria. 
• Outlines of Greek and Roman numismatics.
  
• Identification and classification of numismatic evidence.
• Topics-in-focus:
  - "The mint of Ravenna and its coinage";
  - "Outlines of Medieval numismatics: the coin hoard of via Luca Longhi in Ravenna".

Readings/Bibliography

The following texts are mandatory for the preparation of the exam

Attending students:

Textbook

• F. Barello, Archeologia della moneta. Produzione e utilizzo nell'antichità, Roma, 2006.

Articles (topics-in-focus)

• A.L. Morelli, Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna), in L. Travaini (a cura di), Le zecche italiane fino all'Unità, Roma, 2011, pp. 1045-1059.

• A.L. Morelli, Il gruzzolo di via Luca Longhi a Ravenna, in E. Ercolani Cocchi (a cura di), Il gruzzolo di via Luca Longhi a Ravenna. Città, monete e mercanti nel Medioevo, Ravenna, 1997, pp. 19-29.

• E. Ercolani Cocchi, Monete ed economia a Ravenna. Dal periodo longobardo all'inizio della dominazione veneziana, in E. Ercolani Cocchi (a cura di), Il gruzzolo di via Luca Longhi a Ravenna, Città, monete e mercanti nel Medioevo, Ravenna, 1997, pp. 11-18.

Further reading for non attending-students:

• A.L. Morelli, P. Novara, Sedi di zecca e monetazione in Ravenna dall'antichità al tardo medioevo, in "Atti e Memorie della Deputazione di Storia Patria per le province di Romagna", 58 (2008), pp. 151-200.

All bibliographic resources are available on the platform virtuale.unibo.it.

Teaching methods

• Frontal lessons.
• Practical exercises: identification and cataloging of ancient coins.
• Optional visit to the coin cabinet of the National Museum of Ravenna, with direct observation of specimens from the numismatic collection.

Assessment methods

Students who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered to be attending.

The final exam will be conducted orally and will assess the students' knowledge of the program contents, based on the bibliographic material indicated above.

Students will be asked to provide an organic view of the topics developed during the course, making connections between them and showing the ability to analyze and interpret the acquired data.

In particular, each student will be asked two questions aimed at assessing basic knowledge of numismatics (textbook by F. Barello). A third question will regard one of the articles included in the specific bibliography of the course (topics-in-focus' articles).

• Top marks will be awarded to students displaying their ability to use the numismatic evidence as a source for historical reconstruction, combined with a critical approach to the discipline and a confident and effective use of the appropriate terminology.
• Fair marks will be awarded to students demonstrating a mnemonic knowledge of the subject, combined with a correct, but not always appropriate, command of the field-specific language.
• A pass mark (or just above) will be assigned to students showing a superficial knowledge of the material, in addition to a scarce analytical and expressive ability in the discussion of the topics examined.
• Students will be deemed to have failed the exam if they display significant gaps in their understanding of the subject, in addition to a partial and inadequate knowledge of the bibliography, and/or together with a poor command of the appropriate terminology.

Students won't be admitted to the oral exam if they don't prepare all texts.

Exam sessions are scheduled for the following months of the A.Y. 2024/2025:

- January 2025 (for all students);
- February 2025 (for all students);
- March 2025 (for all students);
- May 2025 (for all students);
- June 2025 (for all students);
- July 2025 (for all students);
- September 2025 (for students in debt of exam);
- October 2025 (for students in debt of exam);
- November 2025 (for students in debt of exam).

Teaching tools

• PowerPoint presentations of the topics covered in class.
• Use of traditional tools and online resources for numismatic research.

All support material for learning is available on the platform virtuale.unibo.it.

N.B.: students who require specific services and adaptations to teaching activities due to a disability or specific disorders (SLD), must first contact office: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students.

Office hours

See the website of Erica Filippini