What about long periods without coin production (6th c. BCE-12th c. CE)? On 16 May 2020, the 6th International Numismatic Conference of the Coin Cabinet of the Royal Library of Belgium will be organized at the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels, focusing on long interruptions in coinage during Antiquity. When discussing coin production, numismatic studies tend to focus on the periods of high output and the underlying incentives, like military activity or trade. During this conference, we would like to highlight the other periods in Greek and Roman history when coin production was interrupted during years or even decades. Also with Hellenistic and Roman civic coinages periods of high output alternated with periods of very limited coin production or no production at all, resulting in highly irregular minting patterns. The aim of this conference is to focus on these periods of low or non-activity, and to search for explanations of this phenomenon. Beyond military explanations, can interruptions in coin production be linked to a decline in monetary needs or to a shift in transaction means? Or are they rather a sign of sufficient monetary stocks in a specific region or during a certain period in time? Such questions are essential in our understanding of the monetary economy during Antiquity, and can be addressed through numismatic, literary as well as archaeological evidence.
As was the case in the past, this will be a one-day conference limited to 9 speakers, of whom 4 Belgians. However, we decided to innovate this time by launching a competitive open call for 5 colleagues from abroad whose expenses – travel and accommodation costs – will be fully supported by the organizers. Proposals for submissions, including a provisional title and an abstract of 5 lines, are expected by 1 October 2019. The maximum duration of each presentation is set at 30 minutes. The organizing committee will announce a list of the selected papers shortly after the submission deadline. The conference proceedings will be published in the Revue belge de Numismatique et de Sigillographie (2021). Final texts for the publication are expected by 1 February 2021. Both proposals and questions concerning the conference are to be sent to Fran Stroobants.
This is the website of the Royal Library.