Speaker
Description
A synthesis of results and methods is presented of five quantitative studies of Ptolemaic bronze coins produced at many mints over most of the duration of the empire. The studies are of weights of over 10,000 coins, hundreds of catalogued types, in diverse public collections and reference works as well as some records from trade. A method evolved for these studies may be applied to other bronze coinages. The results add to our understanding of the minting practices and weight standards evolved in different parts of the Ptolemaic empire. This survey lends support to a modern view of the bronze coinage series and also persuasively points to some new ideas about Ptolemaic bronze coinage. Unexpected discoveries exposed by quantitative metrology include several coin denominations as well as revised dating of a major coinage reform and its connection to an allied kingdom's adoption of the Ptolemaic monetary system.
