Tracing the local(s) the local world of Mediterranean landscapes in Greek and Roman coinage : collection of contributions of an international conference held at the Goethe University in Frankfurt from 29th November to 30th November 2019

Ancient coins are one of the most fascinating and important sources for thinking about all kinda A Lof local identities. Between the Greek archaic period and the end of the late Roman period, they were minted by all sorts of issuers: cities, kings, tribes, leagues ... What all the mints had in common was that they produced coins as a means of payment and used the small space available on the blanka to engrave images that they felt expressed their identity. The legends and illustrations resulting from this need are as numerous and varied as the authorities responsible for the issuing. This is the context in which this book is published: eleven authors from different fields of research discuss the phenomenon of the expression of local identity, from Classical Greek Antiquity to Late Roman Antiquity, from Spain to Asia Minor. The contributions cover such diverse subjects as ancient Cyrene with its Apollo Karneios from Laconia, the Hellenistic king using his influence in Cilician coin issues, the League of Capua and its resistance against Rome, and the use in Asia Minor of the type showing the Marsyas of the Forum Romanum. Thus, the authors will explore the question of local identity: is it a phenomenon linked to culture, language, polítics or borders? By answering and discussing these questions, the book aims to consider coins as one of the most important vectors of local identities, a remarkable phenomenon that has spanned space and time and which, as a result, has been widely shared. -- back cover