Medieval and Modern Numismatics
A.Y. 2019/2020
Learning objectives
The course aims to provide a framework of the history of medieval and modern coinage by directing students to bibliographical, lexical, written and numismatic sources and research methods. A suitable knowledge of the material will be made possible through practical experience with a collection of ancient, medieval and modern coins combined with the materials examined in the course.
Expected learning outcomes
The course presents students with materials and methods for the study of medieval and modern coinage: given the nature of coins, which circulate across human culture, one observes the wide picture of Italy and the Mediterranean which can be compared with other parts of Europe. The study of coins as metal documents makes it possible to capture historical aspects relevant to the fields of political economy, political culture, law, iconography, technology and even ritual and devotion. The written sources are numerous (merchant, literary texts, money changer books, mint ordinances, diaries, etc.); numismatic sources can also be treasures or coins from excavation or collection. With practical examples related to diverse regions and periods, students will be able to verify in practice the methodologies and research possibilities in the field, always relating back to written and numismatic sources. The course is set within a framework of continuous participation and dialogue, as well as with materials entrusted to students for personal exploration to be exhibited in the classroom. There will be seminary activities based on both the collections of coins and specific written sources, which are to be examined from time to time. At the end of the course, students will be able to place the main monetary phenomena of the long period under consideration within a contextual framework, and to navigate through the bibliographical and critical analysis of the most recent research.
Students opting not to attend the lessons will be able to participate in practical exercises with coins by booking with the instructor; additionally, they can arrange suggested readings to deepen their knowledge by contacting the instructor by email or during office hours.
Students opting not to attend the lessons will be able to participate in practical exercises with coins by booking with the instructor; additionally, they can arrange suggested readings to deepen their knowledge by contacting the instructor by email or during office hours.
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
Title of the course: WHY COINS? The power of coins; medieval and modern history from coins: images and communication of the State; mint technology; coin circulation; ritual uses.
Module 1: Coins as historical evidence. Methods of research: numismatic and written sources. Module 2: Text and images: coins as media of political communication.
Module 3: Technology of mint production. Monetary circulation. Ritual use of coins in medieval and modern Europe.
Module 1: Coins as historical evidence. Methods of research: numismatic and written sources. Module 2: Text and images: coins as media of political communication.
Module 3: Technology of mint production. Monetary circulation. Ritual use of coins in medieval and modern Europe.
Prerequisites for admission
There are no specific requirements different from those requested for the admission to the MA degree in historical science
Teaching methods
Attendance at classes is strongly recommended although not compulsory. Teaching is delivered through frontal lectures aimed primarily at the acquisition of knowledge, competence and the specific terminology of the subject. Discussion with the professor in the classroom, and between students in groups, is an integral part of the teaching method; it aims at promoting a critical attitude, group interaction, and the capacity to apply the acquired competence and knowledge. Teaching includes classes aimed at cataloguing medieval and modern coins of the teaching collection (dates to be booked at the beginning of the course); these classes are recommended, though not compulsory, to non-attending students, who may contact the professor.
In addition to class lectures, team work and/or individual presentations are envisaged.
In addition to class lectures, team work and/or individual presentations are envisaged.
Teaching Resources
Attending students:
- Programme for 6 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules 1 and 2)
Knowledge of the specified chapters in the following two books:
L. Travaini, Monete e storia nell'Italia medievale, Roma, Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, 2007 (except chapters 6, 8, 10 and Appendices) (errata-corrige pdf disponibile nell'area Ariel dell'insegnamento; sconto per studenti alla libreria del Poligrafico in Piazza Diaz).
L. Travaini, I capelli di Carlo il Calvo. Indagine sul ritratto monetale nell'Europa medievale, Roma, Quasar, 2013 (except chapters 2, 4, 5) (errata-corrige pdf disponibile nell'area Ariel dell'insegnamento).
- Programme for 9 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules 1,2 and 3)
Knowledge of the following books:
L. Travaini, Monete e storia nell'Italia medievale, Roma, Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, 2007 (Appendici facoltative) (errata-corrige pdf disponibile nell'area Ariel dell'insegnamento; sconto per studenti alla libreria del Poligrafico in Piazza Diaz).
L. Travaini, I capelli di Carlo il Calvo. Indagine sul ritratto monetale nell'Europa medievale, Roma, Quasar, 2013 (errata-corrige pdf disponibile nell'area Ariel dell'insegnamento).
L. Travaini, Il lato buono delle monete: devozione, miracoli e insolite reliquie, Edizioni Dehoniane, Bologna 2013.
Choise of one between the essays by R. Naismith and N. Myrberg Burstöm in Money and Coinage in the Middle Ages, (Reading Medieval Sources, Volume 1), Leiden, Brill, 2019: free download at https://brill.com/view/title/38646
Non attending students:
Programme for 6 cfu:
Knowledge of the following books:
L. Travaini, Monete e storia nell'Italia medievale, Roma, Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, 2007 (esclusi i capitoli 6, 8, 10 e le Appendici) (errata-corrige pdf disponibile nell'area Ariel dell'insegnamento; sconto per studenti alla libreria del Poligrafico in Piazza Diaz).
L. Travaini, I capelli di Carlo il Calvo. Indagine sul ritratto monetale nell'Europa medievale, Roma, Quasar, 2013 (esclusi i capitoli 2, 4, 5) (errata-corrige pdf disponibile nell'area Ariel dell'insegnamento).
L. Travaini, Il lato buono delle monete: devozione, miracoli e insolite reliquie, Edizioni Dehoniane, Bologna 2013.
L. Travaini, Coins as Bread. Bread as Coins, in «Numismatic Chronicle» 173 (2013), p. 187-200 (testo in PDF disponibile in Ariel).
Programme for 9 CFU
Knowledge of the following books:
L. Travaini, Monete e storia nell'Italia medievale, Roma, Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, 2007 (Appendici facoltative) (errata-corrige pdf disponibile nell'area Ariel dell'insegnamento; sconto per studenti alla libreria del Poligrafico in Piazza Diaz).
L. Travaini, I capelli di Carlo il Calvo. Indagine sul ritratto monetale nell'Europa medievale, Roma, Quasar, 2013 (errata-corrige pdf disponibile nell'area Ariel dell'insegnamento).
L. Travaini, Il lato buono delle monete: devozione, miracoli e insolite reliquie, Edizioni Dehoniane, Bologna 2013.
L. Travaini, Coins as Bread. Bread as Coins, in «Numismatic Chronicle» 173 (2013), p. 187-200. (testo in PDF disponibile in Ariel).
Choise of one between the essays by R. Naismith and N. Myrberg Burstöm in Money and Coinage in the Middle Ages, (Reading Medieval Sources, Volume 1), Leiden, Brill, 2019: free download at https://brill.com/view/title/38646
Incoming Erasmus students and international students are invited to promptly get in touch with the professor in order to arrange a reading plan (available in English), and may take the exam in English, if they so desire.
- Programme for 6 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules 1 and 2)
Knowledge of the specified chapters in the following two books:
L. Travaini, Monete e storia nell'Italia medievale, Roma, Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, 2007 (except chapters 6, 8, 10 and Appendices) (errata-corrige pdf disponibile nell'area Ariel dell'insegnamento; sconto per studenti alla libreria del Poligrafico in Piazza Diaz).
L. Travaini, I capelli di Carlo il Calvo. Indagine sul ritratto monetale nell'Europa medievale, Roma, Quasar, 2013 (except chapters 2, 4, 5) (errata-corrige pdf disponibile nell'area Ariel dell'insegnamento).
- Programme for 9 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules 1,2 and 3)
Knowledge of the following books:
L. Travaini, Monete e storia nell'Italia medievale, Roma, Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, 2007 (Appendici facoltative) (errata-corrige pdf disponibile nell'area Ariel dell'insegnamento; sconto per studenti alla libreria del Poligrafico in Piazza Diaz).
L. Travaini, I capelli di Carlo il Calvo. Indagine sul ritratto monetale nell'Europa medievale, Roma, Quasar, 2013 (errata-corrige pdf disponibile nell'area Ariel dell'insegnamento).
L. Travaini, Il lato buono delle monete: devozione, miracoli e insolite reliquie, Edizioni Dehoniane, Bologna 2013.
Choise of one between the essays by R. Naismith and N. Myrberg Burstöm in Money and Coinage in the Middle Ages, (Reading Medieval Sources, Volume 1), Leiden, Brill, 2019: free download at https://brill.com/view/title/38646
Non attending students:
Programme for 6 cfu:
Knowledge of the following books:
L. Travaini, Monete e storia nell'Italia medievale, Roma, Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, 2007 (esclusi i capitoli 6, 8, 10 e le Appendici) (errata-corrige pdf disponibile nell'area Ariel dell'insegnamento; sconto per studenti alla libreria del Poligrafico in Piazza Diaz).
L. Travaini, I capelli di Carlo il Calvo. Indagine sul ritratto monetale nell'Europa medievale, Roma, Quasar, 2013 (esclusi i capitoli 2, 4, 5) (errata-corrige pdf disponibile nell'area Ariel dell'insegnamento).
L. Travaini, Il lato buono delle monete: devozione, miracoli e insolite reliquie, Edizioni Dehoniane, Bologna 2013.
L. Travaini, Coins as Bread. Bread as Coins, in «Numismatic Chronicle» 173 (2013), p. 187-200 (testo in PDF disponibile in Ariel).
Programme for 9 CFU
Knowledge of the following books:
L. Travaini, Monete e storia nell'Italia medievale, Roma, Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, 2007 (Appendici facoltative) (errata-corrige pdf disponibile nell'area Ariel dell'insegnamento; sconto per studenti alla libreria del Poligrafico in Piazza Diaz).
L. Travaini, I capelli di Carlo il Calvo. Indagine sul ritratto monetale nell'Europa medievale, Roma, Quasar, 2013 (errata-corrige pdf disponibile nell'area Ariel dell'insegnamento).
L. Travaini, Il lato buono delle monete: devozione, miracoli e insolite reliquie, Edizioni Dehoniane, Bologna 2013.
L. Travaini, Coins as Bread. Bread as Coins, in «Numismatic Chronicle» 173 (2013), p. 187-200. (testo in PDF disponibile in Ariel).
Choise of one between the essays by R. Naismith and N. Myrberg Burstöm in Money and Coinage in the Middle Ages, (Reading Medieval Sources, Volume 1), Leiden, Brill, 2019: free download at https://brill.com/view/title/38646
Incoming Erasmus students and international students are invited to promptly get in touch with the professor in order to arrange a reading plan (available in English), and may take the exam in English, if they so desire.
Assessment methods and Criteria
- Method: oral exam
- Type of examination: oral interrogation
- Evaluation criteria: capacity to demonstrate and elaborate knowledge; capacity of critical thought on the completed work; quality of presentation, competence in the use of specialised terminology, efficacy, clarity.
- Type of evaluation method: mark in 30s
The format of the exam for students with disabilities should be arranged in advance with the professor in agreement with the relevant Office.
- Type of examination: oral interrogation
- Evaluation criteria: capacity to demonstrate and elaborate knowledge; capacity of critical thought on the completed work; quality of presentation, competence in the use of specialised terminology, efficacy, clarity.
- Type of evaluation method: mark in 30s
The format of the exam for students with disabilities should be arranged in advance with the professor in agreement with the relevant Office.
Unita' didattica A
L-ANT/04 - NUMISMATICS - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
L-ANT/04 - NUMISMATICS - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
L-ANT/04 - NUMISMATICS - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours