November 8, 2018 – Coins are one of the most important symbols and markers of civic identity. The first conference of VLAC (Visual Languages of Ancient Coins) with the title “Traditions through Empires. Cities of Asia Minor and their coin images” will discuss the iconographic traditions of selected cities in Asia Minor from the archaic period to Late Antiquity. It will take place at the Commission for Ancient History and Epigraphy in Munich on December 7-8, 2018.
Since a few cities like Ephesos, Halikarnassos, Byzantion, Side, Sinope, Milet, Tarsos, Mylasa or Sardeis minted coins throughout this entire period, it gives us the opportunity to ask the following questions. Were coin images kept or discarded because of political or sociocultural changes? Did political influence or aesthetic taste play a role in the selection of these images? What can we say about the self-perception of the cities in light of their coinage? This conference seeks to investigate if there was a continuity in the municipal iconographic traditions of these places. This perspective also enables us to track the core values of self-representation and self-perception in ancient cities as depicted on their coins.
The conference program is planned as follows:
Friday, December 7th
14:30 Opening
Panel I: Historical Developments and Civic Identity
Moderation: Wolfgang Fischer-Bossert (Austrian Academy of Sciences)
15:00 Johannes Nollé (Commission for Ancient History and Epigraphy, DAI): Side – Under the Sign of the Pomegranate. Keeping a Balance Between Persistence and Innovation
15:45 Julie Dalaison (University of Lyon): Coinage and History: the Impact of Political Changes in Sinope Seen by Coins
16:30 Coffee Break
17:00 Koray Konuk (CNRS – Bordeaux Montaigne University): Continuity and Change in the Coinage of Halikarnassos
17:45 Hülya Vidin (University of Frankfurt): From the Lion to anthropomorphic Deities – Expression of Changing Cultural Identity?
18:30 Wine Reception
Saturday, December 8th
Panel II: Change and Diversification of Civic Coinage
Moderation: Christof Schuler (Commission for Ancient History and Epigraphy, DAI)
9:00 Saskia Kerschbaum (Commission for Ancient History and Epigraphy, DAI): Growing Variation meets Tradition: Byzantion and its Coinage over the Centuries
9:45 Oguz Tekin (Koc University): Sandan on the Coins of Tarsos in Cilicia
10:30 Coffee Break
Panel III: Religious Traditions in a Changing World
Moderation: Katharina Martin (University of Düsseldorf)
11:00 George Watson (University of Frankfurt): On Naming and not Naming the Sardian Gods
11:45 Stefan Karwiese (University of Vienna): Political and Religious Traditions as shown on Ephesian Coins
12:30 Snack
13:15 Fabrice Delrieux (Savoie University): The Images of Zeus in the Coinage of Mylasa in Caria. Between Tradition and Modernity from the Classical Period to the Roman Empire
14:00 Discussion
Moderation: Fleur Kemmers (University of Frankfurt)
14.30 Close
As places are limited, please register until November 25, 2018. For registration and any further information, contact either Saskia Kerschbaum or Hülya Vidin.