# Tags #Numismatics #Byzantine/Coins #Byzantine/Studies #Byzantine/Terminology --- ### Abstract --- # Article >[! Error] Draft >This article is in its first draft. Errors and inconsistencies are present. ### Introduction >[! Quote] >"The true Byzantine type of coinage commences under Anastasius (491-518), who instituted a monetary reform. During his reign, as well as during that of Justin I. (sic) (518-527), the types of the gold and silver coins are principally the usual Victory holding a globe on which is a cross; or else a large cross, or a staff surmounted by the [Chi-Rho]; whilst the [variations of XP], are of frequent occurrence." > - Frederic W. Madden (1878) What is a true *Byzantine* type coin? Articles like Frederic Madden's written in the 19th century presumed one to know what a Byzantine type coin was. The above quote creates an intriguing conundrum for the study of Roman coins. Superficially, Madden's claim appears logical as currency reform suggests a break from continuity,... First, the definition of a "Byzantine" type coin is solely predicated on the Anastasius' (491-518) monetary reform, which created a new bronze coin called the *follis*. --- ### Method - Internet archive and why this is a valuable resource. - LLM/OCR scope of application - Check to see if multiple editions exist and how language may differ ### Theory - [[18.01 Wicked Problems]] - [[18.02 Anticolonial]] - [[90.13 Critical Ancient World Studies]] - [[18.19 Object Oriented Ontology]] - [[Entanglement, Material Culture, Colonialism]] - [[Entangled]] # Introduction: In recent years, Byzantine Studies has initiated a reflective process aimed at understanding the implications of the field's origins and their impact on modern scholarship of the East Roman world. Historiographical analysis and sub-disciplinary reflections about the field's nature and substance have refocused scholarly attention on the implications of the field's origins.. Nathan Aschenbrenner and Jake Ransohoff published an edited volume which explores the development of Byzantine Studies in early modern Europe(cite). Topics range from Heironymus Wolf use of the term in the Byzantine in the sixteenth century to Greek national identity. While others, such as Yannis Stouraitis, have explored the 'Byzantine' subaltern and the implications of Byzantine as an eraser of identities, scholars have begun to call for a reexamination of the discipline's name, `Byzantine Studies`. Anthony Kaldellis suggests East Roman Studies (cite); however, few have taken up this call to arms to 'de-colonize' a field that is both colonizer and colonized(cite). ### Critical Theory and 'Byzantium' [[90.13 Critical Ancient World Studies]] --- ## The Wicked Problems of Byzantine Studies. ### Wicked Byzantine Problems _Byzantine_ is a buzzword – an adjective – for overly complicated and pointless over-organization; it is a label applied to that part of the Roman Empire to obscure ethnic diversity in order to delineate the Western medieval world from the Greek east or _Graeci_ – a derogatory Latin term embedded with nefarious “connotations of treachery, effeminacy, excessive sophistication, love of luxury, verbal trickery, and cowardice” (Kaldellis, 2019: 12). Though, in the contemporary world, such portrayals are not taken seriously by scholars, they are, nevertheless, baked into the discipline’s history – its very name – a history that continues to influence modern scholarship and permeate public reception of Roman History, Archaeology and Numismatics. What problems does this label create for those whose professional careers are intertwined with the field's dishonest name? How severe are these problems, and are solutions reasonably obtainable? Byzantine Studies faces a host of concerns, some tame, others are 'Wicked Problems'. The very name of the field perpetuates colonial ideologies and tropes that have been well established in monographs and articles produced by our peers. It appears we are at an impasse, which I refer to as Wicked *Byzantine* Problems (WBP). John Schofield's book, "Wicked Problems for Archaeologists," is the inspiration for my arguments. Schofield's book argues that archaeologists have a significant role to play in Wicked Problems, "those problems facing the planet and its inhabitants, present and future, which are hard (if not impossible) to resolve and for which bold, creative, and messy solutions, being those 'that include many different viewpoints when making a decision or establishing policy"[^1]. WBP are not world-altering problems, but they are insidious and I argue challenge the discipline's integrity when scholars use a dishonest label while arguing for equity, equality, social justice, and truth in a political climate of alternative-facts and deep fakes. Integrity is more important than ever, as the academy is relentlessly attacked by governments, which sow mistrust of these institutions into the public sphere. Thus, if we can not come to terms with not just addressing the problems of the label 'Byzantine' but completely abandoning its use all together, then how do we expect the public to have trust in us if we do not accurately represent those who knew themselves as Romans. > “While the dead are no longer around to feel insulted, treating their memory with a lack of respect leaves one practicing being disrespectful. As with integrity, respect is a habit that grows as you practice it. Respect for the dead pushes me to call them Romans, when that is what they called themselves. Respect for my contemporaries means I will appreciate and value your scholarly contributions regardless of whether I have managed to persuade you” (Neville 2025: 55). > “Integrity is achieved by having an alignment between one’s actions, thoughts, words, and values. Integrity feels good because it is a consequence of freedom and empowerment within a society that allows people to be who they are, think what they think, and do what they do without contradiction. Integrity is rare in our world where multiple diverse pressures push us to give lip service to ideas and actions we find silly, useless, or harmful. Integrity is also a habit. Therefore, it is worth trying to speak and act with integrity in all those realms that are within our control” (Neville 2025: 54). Byzantine Studies does not reside within a singular department in most Western universities. Much of what is included under the auspices of Byzantine Studies, i.e., History, Art History, Archaeology, Epigraphy, Numismatics, and Sigillography, to name a few, is scattered throughout a wide assortment of university departments, such as History, Classics, or Archaeology. The field also suffers from a lack of jobs (Kaldellis 2024) and many who have specialized in a particular area of Byzantine Studies, for example, numismatics, end up teaching in departments under broad mandates. This is not the time or place to discuss the Byzantine job market, but it hints at a growing problem that Byzantinists face: Relevancy. How does the field stay relevant in economic and political turmoil? Where war, climate change, social justice issues and political extremism are on the rise and occupy the public's mind? Do we as a field need to redefine who we are and what we do? To do so insinuates that we understand the character and nature of our field, and we should not be so confident that we do. ### WBP and Numismatics For Byzantine numismatics, wicked problems are pervasive in and around the discipline. From heritage crime and antiquities trade, colonial legacies in North America, to the use of a dishonest label that misrepresents Roman and numerous other medieval identities, not to mention the problematic periodization that Byzantine numismatics uses. Indeed, these 'Wicked *Byzantine* Problems' need to be addressed if the field is to flourish and maintain some form of social-cultural relevance. However, the potential solutions will be messy and may create more problems than they solve. It is here that scholars need to seek small wins that will enable a transition away from these oriental and colonial labels that continue to be knowingly and unknowingly propped by the discipline as a whole.[^4] However, to achieve a small win, we need to understand the character of our discipline, its substance and the object that we study — Coins. It is not as simple as changing a name from 'Byzantine' to 'East Roman' and all our problems are resolved. - Introduce the topic of Data, Identifiers, and databases, LLMs, etc, that are entangled in our scholarly workspace. - Coins, Wikipedia, and/or data repos. --- ## 'Byzantine' Numismatics: Character and Substance Numismatics is an antiquarian discipline with its roots dating back to Augustus or earlier (Holt). ## What is a Coin? A simple search on Google asking "What is a Coin?" will provide a list of definitions that are all relatively similar in content. "A flat, typically round piece of metal with an official stamp, used as Money."[^2] The first line in Wikipedia states, "A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender."[^3] These searches provide the contemporary definition of what a coin is in modern Western societies, particularly the United States and Canada (where this search was performed). These definitions do not represent the ancient or medieval definitions of a coin... Looking past a coin's physical traits, such as its metal composition and iconography, one can see that its social and cultural meanings are complex, durable, and ever-changing. Durability is not only attested to by a coin's metallic composition - Durability - Entanglement - dependancies - Co-evolved with humans - Temporality - Economic - Cultural - Social - Geographic - linguistic chapter: 8. A New Beginning: Cognitive Numismatics I Cognitive numismatics: Cognitive numismatics is a concept introduced in the document that seeks to analyze the mental processes involved in coin engraving and minting. This approach is significant as it provides insights into the craftsmanship and the socio-cultural context of Bactrian coin production, revealing the complexities behind the errors observed in the coins. [[13.06 Coins and Mass Media]] [[13.18 Myths and Coins]] [[13.28 Communicative Character]] [[14.31 Imagined Communities and Coins]] [[12.12 Coins as Print Capitalism]] [[13.11 Coins as Data]] [[13.33 Coins as Multi-disciplinary Sources]] --- ### Entanglement. ### Western Medieval Studies and *Byzantium*. ### Alternative Approaches to Studying the East Roman Coins ### Towards a Critical 'Digital' Future in East Roman Studies --- ### Related Links [[]] --- # Bibliography ### Primary Sources #### Internet Archive & Google Books #### 16th Century [Epitome dv thresor des antiqvitez](https://archive.org/details/epitomedvthresorstra/page/n10/mode/1up) (Middle French 1553 (1588)) [Epitome Thesauri antiquitatum](https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_hhQbkVJz4VEC/mode/1up) (1553) [Prima pars Promptuarii iconum insigniorum à seculo hominum](https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_f5FDAAAAcAAJ/page/n6/mode/1up?view=theater) (1553) [C. Ivlivs Caesar : sive Historiae imperatorvm Caesarvmqve romanorvm ex antiqvis nvmismatibvs restitvtae liber primvs](https://archive.org/details/civlivscaesarsiv02golt/mode/1up?view=theater) (1563) #### 17th Century [Impp. Romanorum numismatum series. à C. Iulio Cæsare ad Rudolphum II](https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_SyTFdx27GKQC) (1605) [The compleat gentleman](https://archive.org/details/bim_early-english-books-1475-1640_the-compleat-gentleman_peacham-henry-the-youn_1622/mode/1up) (1622) See p 61?? [Icones imperatorum Romanorum](https://archive.org/details/iconesimperatorugolt/page/216/mode/1up?q=Conftantinopolim) (1645) [Dissertatio de praestantia et usu numismatum antiquorum - Ezechiel Spanheim](https://books.google.ca/books?id=V9RVAAAAcAAJ&pg=PP5&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q&f=false) (1664) [Ezechielis Spanhemii Dissertationes de praestantia et usu numismatum antiquorum](https://archive.org/details/ezechielisspanhe02span/page/494/mode/1up) (1671) [Imperatorum romanorum numismata ex aere, mediae et minimae formae: descripta & enarrata](https://archive.org/details/imperatorumroman00pati/mode/1up) (1671) [De Byzantinarum rerum scriptoribus Graecis liber - Martin Hanke - Google Books](https://books.google.ca/books?id=CI5JsRocGy4C&printsec=frontcover&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false) (1677) [Historia Byzantina duplici commentario illustrata](https://archive.org/details/historiabyzantin00duca/mode/1up) (1680) [Glossarium ad scriptores mediae & infimae Latinitatis : in quo Latina vocabula novatae significationis, aut usus rarioris, barbara & exotica explicantur](https://archive.org/details/gri_33125008607133) (1681) [La science des medailles](https://archive.org/details/lasciencedesmeda1695jobe/mode/1up) (1695) #### 18th Century [Numismata imperatorum romanorum a Trajano Decio ad Palæologos augustos](https://archive.org/details/gri_33125012238768/mode/1up) (1718) compare periodization to Montfaucon [Paleographia Graeca: sive, De ortu et progressu literarum Graecarum Montfaucon](https://books.google.ca/books?id=zHAsAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false) (1718) [Antiquity explained and represented in figures ... : Montfaucon](https://archive.org/details/gri_33125008723468/page/n7/mode/1up?view=theater) (1719) [Numismata Imperatorum Romanorum praestantiora a Julio Caesare ad postumum usque per Joannem Vaillant.](https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_RVE_KFKIVWQC/page/n3/mode/2up?view=theater) (1743) [De imperatorum constantinopolitanorum seu inferioris aevi vel imperii uti vocant numismatibus](https://archive.org/details/deimperatorumcon00duca/mode/1up) (1755) [Glossarium novum ad scriptores medii aevi - P. Carpentier](https://books.google.ca/books?id=7HyKzgEACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false) (1766) has corrections and updates to Du Cange's _Dissertatio_ on Byzantine coins. [Istituzione antiquario-numismatica](https://archive.org/details/gri_33125011202641/page/n6/mode/1up) (1772) [Doctrina numorum veterum](https://archive.org/details/doctrinanumorum00unkngoog/mode/1up) (1792) #### 19th Century [Essai de classification des suites monétaires byzantines](https://archive.org/details/essaideclassifi00unkngoog/page/n6/mode/1up) (1836) [Lettres du Baron Marchant sur la numismatique et l'histoire](https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=gzQGAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PP4&hl=en) (1851 Nouvelle Édition). [Description generale des monnaies byzantines](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=ucm.5325084214&seq=1) (1862) #### 20th century [Catalogue Of The Imperial Byzantine Coins In The British Museum VOL I : Wroth, Warwick ](https://archive.org/details/catalogueofimper00wrot/page/n8/mode/1up) **Joseph Hilarius von Eckhel (1737-1798)** [Doctrina nvmorvm vetervm conscripta a Josepho Eckhel](https://archive.org/details/doctrinanumorum12unkngoog/page/n7/mode/1up) (Part 1 vol I: 1792) [Doctrina Nvmorvm Vetervm Conscripta A Josepho Eckhel](https://archive.org/details/dbc.wroc.pl.BOss_XVIII_37330v2) (Part 1 vol II: 1794) Files need to be downloaded?? [Doctrina nvmorvm vetervm conscripta a Josepho Eckhel](https://archive.org/details/doctrinanvmorvm03grangoog/page/n5/mode/1up) (Part 1 vol II: 1839 Second edition) [Doctrina Nvmorvm Vetervm Conscripta A Josepho Eckhel](https://archive.org/details/dbc.wroc.pl.BOss_XVIII_37330v3/page/n6/mode/1up) (Part I vol III: 1794) [Doctrina nvmorvm vetervm conscripta a Josepho Eckhel](https://archive.org/details/doctrinanvmorvm00grangoog/page/n5/mode/1up) ( Part 1 vol III: 1828 Second edition) [Doctrina Nvmorvm Vetervm Conscripta A Josepho Eckhel](https://archive.org/details/dbc.wroc.pl.BOss_XVIII_37330v4/page/n6/mode/1up) (Part 1 vol IV: 1794) [Doctrina nvmorvm vetervm conscripta a Josepho Eckhel](https://archive.org/details/doctrinanvmorvm05grangoog/page/n7/mode/1up) (Part 1 vol IV: 1828 Second edition) [Doctrina Nvmorvm Vetervm Conscripta A Josepho Eckhel](https://archive.org/details/dbc.wroc.pl.BOss_XVIII_37330v5/page/n6/mode/1up) (Part 2 vol V: 1795) [Doctrina nvmorvm vetervm conscripta a Josepho Eckhel](https://archive.org/details/doctrinanumorum01millgoog/page/n10/mode/2up) (Second edition???) [Doctrina Nvmorvm Vetervm Conscripta A Josepho Eckhel](https://archive.org/details/dbc.wroc.pl.BOss_XVIII_37330v6/page/n6/mode/1up) (Part 2 vol VI: 1796) [Doctrina nvmorvm vetervm conscripta a Josepho Eckhel](https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_3rOyZTcZXGIC/page/n3/mode/1up) (Part 2 vol VI: 1828 Second Edition) [Doctrina Nvmorvm Vetervm Conscripta A Josepho Eckhel](https://archive.org/details/dbc.wroc.pl.BOss_XVIII_37330v7/page/n6/mode/1up) (Part 2 vol VII: 1797) [Doctrina nvmorvm vetervm conscripta a Josepho Eckhel](https://archive.org/details/doctrinanvmorvm02grangoog/page/n5/mode/1up) (Part 2 vol VII: 1828 Second edition) [Doctrina Nvmorvm Vetervm Conscripta A Josepho Eckhel](https://archive.org/details/dbc.wroc.pl.BOss_XVIII_37330v8/page/n6/mode/1up) (Part 2 vol VIII: 1798) [Doctrina nvmorvm vetervm conscripta a Josepho Eckhel](https://archive.org/details/doctrinanvmorvm06grangoog/page/n5/mode/1up) (Part 2 vol VIII: 1828 Second edition) *Seals/Sigillography* [De veteribus Germanorum aliarumque nationum sigillis](https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_odPmuItct9gC/mode/1up) (1709) compare language difference #### Dumbarton Oaks [Imperatorum Romanorum numismata a Pompeio Magno ad Heraclium](https://www.dopapers.org/rare-books/imperatorum-romanorum-numismata-a-pompeio-magno-ad-heraclium) (1683) [Les Cesars de l'empereur Julien](https://www.doaks.org/resources/online-exhibits/ces-pieces-immortelles/17th-century-b/les-cesars-de-lempereur-julien) (1683) Not sure if needed. Need to Find. ### Secondary Sources --- ### Footnotes [^1]: Schofield (4) [^2]: Google Search Engine Dictionary, accessed May 1st, 2025. [^3]: "Coin," *Wikipedia*, accessed May 1st, 2025. Other examples are... [^4]: Schofield (3-4)