Iconography and Power

B05　—　Cross-cutting theme

The face may change while the weight of gold does not.

Supervised by: Mitsuru Hayama　／　Reading time (main text): About 8 min (3,761 characters of text at 500 chars/min; exercises and readings not included)　／　Beyond the text: 11 exercises · 6 coins · 10 readings · 2 references

What this course teaches you to do

• You can read changes of image and changes of system apart from each other.
• You can explain what a state without a king put on its coins.
• You can infer from the area of circulation for whom an image was issued.
• You can explain the aspect of power carried by the imagery of a key currency.
• Can explain coinage as "the sole facial medium of the empire."
• Can discuss how the power of iconography has transformed in the modern era into the control of payment networks.

Lessons (8)

1. When the face changes but the content does notImages are easy to change, systems are not. When the face changes, always check the content.
2. What did a state without a king put on its coinsA state without a king quotes antiquity. New authority is short, so it fills the gap with old names.
3. For whom was it issued — circulation answersIntent stays in documents, reality stays in the soil. Finds are not circulation, but they are other evidence.
4. Iconography can become power itselfAn image can grow from symbol into power. But once fully grown, it passes beyond numismatics.
5. Imperial Media — The Speed of a FaceIn a world without newspapers or television, only coinage delivered the ruler's face throughout the land. Iconography was a tool of governance.
6. Beauty as Power — The Masters of SyracuseBeauty was a tool for display and an advertisement for the city. Coins signed by master engravers are also a declaration of power.
7. The Assassination Commemorative Coin — EID MARThe assassins responded to the taboo-breaking portrait with a coin. Coinage can be the sharpest form of political statement.
8. Faceless Power — The Payment Network as Modern IconographyThe power of modern reserve currencies resides not in iconography, but in the payment network. It is the farthest-reaching arrow, striking where other arrows cannot.

Readings (10)

• The banker king and the age of credit　France　1815–1825　The public-debt registry, Paris
  §1. Check in the original the passage where the face changed and the weight of gold did not.
• 19 October 1868　Spain　1869–1870　Madrid, the mint
  §2. The scene where a personification of the land replaces the king's face.
• The Danegeld　Britain　the end of the 10th century–the 11th century　Scandinavia
  §3. The account of more finds in Sweden than at home.
• The weight of being the reserve　United States　the present day　The dollar settlement network
  §4. The sharpest form of "being widely used is itself power."
• The Roman Empire　Overview: 2,700 years of the world　the 1st century　Where the Emperor's Face Reaches
  Section 5. "The only 'face media' in the empire." A key paragraph for this course.
• Syracuse　Overview: 2,700 years of the world　405 BC　Euainetos
  Section 6. Profiles in Western art history. An era when beauty was the language of power.
• The Roman Republic　Overview: 2,700 years of the world　43 BC　The Camp of Brutus
  Section 7. The most provocative coin in history. The full text is short, so please read it word by word.
• From the Face of a God, to the Face of a King　Greece　Circa 300 BC　The Royal Palace of Alexandria
  This is considered the first coin to feature the face of a living ruler, rather than a god or a hero. It is also noted that there are two theories regarding the year it began.
• The Sultan's Silver　Turkey　1844–　An engraver's workbench
  On the face is not the profile of an emperor, but a tughra, a calligraphic monogram of the sultan's name. Please note that at a time when Europe featured the profiles of its monarchs, there was a country that made the script itself its "face".
• What the Coin's Face Kept Saying　Russia　20th century　Moscow
  This session is about looking at what is not depicted, rather than what is. Count what was featured on the coins of a country that did not use individual portraits as its main design, and read through to the conclusion that what a state wishes to convey and what is actually happening are two different things.

Assessment

11 exercises in this course (7 check, 1 compare, 3 written). Progress is recorded by self-assessment.

References

• Online Coins of the Roman Empire (OCRE) — American Numismatic Society / Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, NYU　A catalogue of Roman Imperial Coinage. 31 BC–AD 491, over 43,000 types. The place with the most examples of types.
• Coinage of the Roman Republic Online (CRRO) — American Numismatic Society / British Museum / Münzkabinett Berlin　Online version of Michael Crawford's "Roman Republican Coinage" (1974). A standard reference for type identification.

Only works and primary sources whose existence has been verified are listed.