The minting/mining nexus: new understandings of Archaic Greek silver coinage from lead isotope analysis

Zofia Anna Stos-Gale, Gillan Davis

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

    Abstract

    This paper presents fresh interpretations of 160 lead isotope analyses of Archaic Greek coins on the OXALID database based on new data for ore sources in Spain, Sardinia, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Turkey and Iran. It demonstrates that the earliest minters used far more diverse metal sources than the literary evidence suggests, and engaged in what could be described as opportunistic minting. Some currently held views on the importance of Siphnian silver, Peisistratid access to Thracian silver, the sources of Aiginetan, Thasian and Chian silver, the use of gold and tin as tracers for Siphnian and Lavrion silver, and the mixing of silver are challenged. Thoughts are offered on how archaic minting drove intensification of mining.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationMetallurgy in Numismatics 6
    Subtitle of host publicationMines, Metals and Money: Ancient World Studies in Science, Archaeology and History
    EditorsKenneth A. Sheedy, Gillan Davis
    Place of PublicationLondon
    PublisherThe Royal Numismatic Society
    Chapter8
    Pages87-100
    Number of pages14
    ISBN (Print)090140537X
    Publication statusPublished - 2020

    Keywords

    • Lead isotope analysis
    • Archaic Greek coins
    • OXALID
    • Laurion
    • Siphnos
    • Chemical analysis
    • Thrace

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