Reply to Thread

Message:: [QUOTE="Ardatirion, post: 452232, member: 9204"]Fixing the dimensions of coins is not nearly as easy as you think, first of all. Second, I do not think the coins are ugly by any stretch of the term. Granted, the penny I posted is an extreme example of the mis-shaping GDJMSP and is obviously not nearly as attractive as a fully shaped one like Drusus posted. But even so, round rims do not make for an attractive coin. The engraving of the dies is the most important part, all other factors are secondary. As for the economy of the ancient world, I think I can safely say that, in the past few months, I've read all major published works on the topic and examined all scholarly models. Scholars from the 60's to the 90's shared the same view you had, that the economy was not monetized (one even went so far as to say that coins were solely political objects!). But, with the introduction of statistical analysis to numismatic material, it has become obvious that the Roman Empire in particular struck more than enough coinage to support a monetized economy. Attach this to new methods that have been developed to analyze individual coin finds and hoards, and the picture that emerges is a cash economy not too far from our own, complete with fiduciary currencies! (I'd recommend you find a copy of Coinage in the Roman Economy by Kenneth Harl)[/QUOTE]