MEDIEVAL NUMISMATICS

The course is one of the core educational activities characterizing the Master’s Degree Programme in History from the Middle Age to Present and the Master’s Degree Programme in Ancient Civilizations: Literatures, History and Archaeology..
It has the purpose to guarantee to the students the knowledge of processes related to money and coinage in the Middle Ages, of the methodology of research in numismatics, of the lexicon of the subject.
It intends to guarantee the acquisition of cognitive abilities as sketch out a scientific research, and practical abilities as be able to hand the results of scientific research over through the scientific communication. The students will develop research and didactical skills in the subject, and acquire skills as critical approach during the evaluation of information and news, and understanding of events and cultural processes crucial in the constitution of the occidental identity.
The attainment of these goals assures to the student the cultural, disciplinary, methodological knowledge to enter the world of work in didactical, cultural, divulgation and communication-linked fields suitable with his academic curriculum.

Attending the course and the seminar and practicing individual study allow students to acquire specific knowledge: the methodology of numismatic research, the deep knowledge of monetary history in the medieval world, the lexicon of the subject. Attending the course will also make students acquire these cognitive abilities: to apply the research's methodology with particular focus on the monetary history of the Middle Ages; to interpret medieval coins according to different perspectives (economic, political, social, artistic etc.); to be able to understand the facts related to medieval coinage in their historical context without modernize. The course will make students acquire these practical abilities: to recognize and interpret medieval coins; to sketch out a scientific research and be able to convey the results as a scientific communication selecting the contents, the ways of communication, the time. The students will acquire these skills: to know how to interpret historical phenomena related to medieval coinage; to know how to employ a critical approach toward the information sources; to interpret correctly economic and monetary practices of medieval world.

There is no disciplinary requirement. A good knowledge of italian language is necessary; it would be useful (but it is not necessary) some previous knowledge of numismatics; a good knowledge of history of the medieval Europe is desirable.

Through an ample introduction to the methods in numismatic research, an outline of monetary history from 5th to 13th century, and presentations by students, the course will present the principal features of coinage in the medieval world; particular attention will be dedicated to interpretation of numismatic sources and monetary uses in the medieval Europe. Formal features of medieval coins, technical factors of production, institutional context, monetary circulation.will be discussed.

- Class notes (slides and other materials will be available on e-learnig plattform Moodle);
- P. SPUFFORD, Money and its use in medieval use, Cambridge 1988, pp. 7-54; 74-131;
- B. CALLEGHER, La monetazione bizantina: un ruolo internazionale tra oriente e occidente, in Alle radici dell'euro. Catalogo della mostra, Treviso 2001, pp. 77-104;
- A. SACCOCCI, La moneta nel Veneto medioevale (secoli X-XIV), in Il Veneto nel Medioevo. Dai comuni cittadini al predominio scaligero nella Marca, Verona 1991, pp. 245-261;
- Further literature will be given in class.

FOR NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
- P. SPUFFORD, Money and its use in medieval use, Cambridge 1988, pp. 7-54; 74-131;
- B. CALLEGHER, La monetazione bizantina: un ruolo internazionale tra oriente e occidente, in Alle radici dell'euro. Catalogo della mostra, Treviso 2001, pp. 77-104;
- A. SACCOCCI, La moneta nel Veneto medioevale (secoli X-XIV), in Il Veneto nel Medioevo. Dai comuni cittadini al predominio scaligero nella Marca, Verona 1991, pp. 245-261;
- L. TRAVAINI, Monete e storia nell'Italia medievale, Ist. Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, Roma 2007, pp.29-81; 221-256
- P. GRIERSON-M. BLACKBURN, Medieval European Coinage: Volume 1, the Early Middle Ages (5th 10th Centuries): Cambridge University Press 1986 (e ristampe), pp.1-54.

All foreign students are invited to contact the course tutor beforehand in order to discuss their study programmes for individual assessment.

Each student is evaluated according to three categories of examination: an oral exam on the topics developed during the course and on the referral texts; during seminar, the individual oral exposition of a research theme assigned by course tutor at the beginning of the course; the writing of an essay on the same research theme that should be sent to the course tutor before the exam
Through these exam the teacher verifies:
1) knowledge: acquisition of fundamental concepts and scientific lexicon of the subject and the methodology of numismatic research;
2) cognitive abilities: the application of the methodology of historical research with particular focus on the use of numismatic sources and on critical approach on bibliography about monetary history of the Middle Ages; the ability of analysis of historical processes related to medieval coinage and economy; practical abilities: identification and cataloguing of medieval artefacts (coins); communicative abilities, for the public history and scientific communication (selecting the contents, the ways of communication, the time)
3) skills: capability to analyze reality and information and to increase critical awareness of peculiarity of each historical period as.for monetary history.
Each category of examination is judged according to a scale of thirty points, and the final mark is the result of the average of the points earned for each examination.

Classes will be conducted as seminars, so that all students will have the opportunity to participate in class presentations. A specific research topic will be assigned to each participant. Ancient sources and further readings that will help students prepare their presentation will be provided in class.

Italian

Class attendance is highly recommended; students who cannot attend classes must contact the teacher beforehand; foreign students are invited to contact the course tutor beforehand.

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