Memory in Greek and Roman Coins: Call for Papers

Bill Metcalf has circulated the Call for Papers for a organized session on "Memory in Greek and Roman Coins" at the 111th AIA/APA Joint Annual Meeting in January 2010. The session is sponsored by the Friends of Numismatics:

MEMORY IN GREEK AND ROMAN COINS

The Friends of Numismatics invite paper submissions for the 2010 AIA/APA annual meetings in Orange County (Anaheim), CA, on the topic of memory. How do coin types transmit, record, and alter memory? And to what purpose? How accurate is their historical transmission of places, events, and people? How do they portray illustrious men and women of the past? Are foundation legends and founding heroes an expression of memory?

How do Hellenistic rulers, Roman Republican moneyers, or Roman emperors use portraits and divinization as self-representation? Why and how did Trajan "restore" so many denarial types of the Roman Republic? Why did Titus commemorate and "restore" the images of the "good" emperors? The negation of memory, damnatio memoriae, could be just as powerful a tool for political propaganda.

Please send abstracts of a maximum of 250 words to Jane Miller, Yale University Art Gallery, P. O. Box 208271, New Haven, CT 06520-8271 (jane.miller@yale.edu<mailto:jane.miller@yale.edu>) by February 15, 2009. Submissions will be evaluated anonymously by at least two reviewers. All persons who submit abstracts must be APA members in good standing.

'Import Restrictions Imposed on Certain Archaeological Material from China'

It was just announced today that U.S. State Department has decided to act on a request for import restrictions on certain archaeological materials from China.

The report, apparently published today, "Import Restrictions Imposed on Certain Archaeological Material from China" is available online and details the scope of the import restrictions and the objects that are covered. Pertinent to the primary subject of this website - numismatics - one notes that the request for import restrictions made in 2005, which included ancient Chinese coins, has been controversial and particularly opposed by American ancient coin dealers and many collectors. Ancient Chinese coins are covered in the text of the agreement:

3. Coins.

a. Zhou Media of Exchange and Tool-shaped Coins: Early media of
exchange include bronze spades, bronze knives, and cowrie shells.
During the 6th century BC, flat, simplified, and standardized cast
bronze versions of spades appear and these constitute China's first
coins. Other coin shapes appear in bronze including knives and cowrie
shells. These early coins may bear inscriptions.

b. Later, tool-shaped coins began to be replaced by disc-shaped
ones which are also cast in bronze and marked with inscriptions. These
coins have a central round or square hole.

c. Qin: In the reign of Qin Shi Huangdi (221-210 BC) the square-
holed round coins become the norm. The new Qin coin is inscribed simply
with its weight, expressed in two Chinese characters ban liang. These
are written in small seal script and are placed symmetrically to the
right and left of the central hole.

d. Han through Sui: Inscriptions become longer, and may indicate
that inscribed object is a coin, its value in relation to other coins,
or its size. Later, the period of issue, name of the mint, and numerals
representing dates may also appear on obverse or reverse. A new script,
clerical (lishu), comes into use in the Jin.

e. Tang: The clerical script becomes the norm until 959, when coins
with regular script (kaishu) also begin to be issued.

Another Antiquities Dealer Selling Egyptian Archaeological Goods is Arrested

Relevant to my previous post ("Italy Returns Thousands of Looted Coins to Bulgaria: Is there a Connection to Past Criminal Activities") about ancient coins and antiquities smuggled on a large scale to Western nations out of Bulgaria to supply the antiquities and ancient coin market, it has just been announced that a well-known antiquities dealer who has sold undocumented antiquities from a variety of countries and regions was recently arrested in Bulgaria, after eluding authorities. In 2004, he was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison in Egypt for illegally selling Egyptian antiquities. Like Eastern European countries, the cultural heritage of Middle Eastern nations such as Egypt are at great risk to looters and smugglers. Zahi Hawass, of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, has spoken about the case.

See B. Helmy, "Interpol Arrests Antiquities Smuggler," Daily News, Jan. 15, 2009.

David Gill and Paul Barford have already made some comments on the arrest:

D.W.J. Gill, "A Dealer, Interpol and Sofia Airport," Looting Matters, Jan. 15, 2009.

P. Barford, "Arrest of Antiquities Dealer," Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues. Jan. 15, 2009

Also of relevance, see discussion of the recent arrest of an Australian antiquities dealer who was selling and smuggling Egyptian antiquities:

D.W.J. Gill, "Australian Antiquities Dealer Arrested in Egypt," Looting Matters, Jan. 3, 2009.