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TRANSLATIO NUMMORUM - The Perception of Classical Antiquity via Ancient Coins by Antiquaries in the Renaissance

Jan Simane, Ulrike Eydinger, Lisa Hanstein

In the age of Renaissance humanism, antique coins were not only favoured collectors' items but also played an important role in rediscovering classical antiquity. Humanists recognised for the first time the high value of these coins as a source for research in the fields of history, archaeology, geography, mythology and art history. This marked the beginning of numismatics as an academic discipline in its own right.

In order to thoroughly investigate antique coins and their reception by antiquaries in early modern times, the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz (Max-Planck-Institut), the Numismatic Collection of the National Museums in Berlin (Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz) and the Census of Antique Works of Art and Architecture Known in the Renaissance (Humboldt-Universität Berlin / Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften) have joined together in an interdisciplinary project, "translatio nummorum – The Perception of Classical Antiquity via Ancient Coins by Antiquaries in the Renaissance". The project is financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (line of funding: "The role of translation in the humanities"). The aim of this project is to conduct a comparative analysis of the role and function of antique coins between BC 49 to AD 96, and the research, reception, and (re-)construction of ancient culture and history by scholars and antiquaries in the age of the Renaissance.

The project is based on three conceptual pillars:
1. Making available all the literary and visual sources in a
    digital compendium
2. Creation of a data base with images and scientific
    descriptions of the original coins (if available)
3. Evaluation, interpretation and integration of the sources
    and artefacts within the context of the Census Project

The Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz holds a number of the most important numismatic books from the 16th and early 17th century. These will be gradually digitized and transliterated, and then made accessible to the public as a digital open access collection on the Internet. Consequently, the core of a digital library of historical numismatic literature will be created, a "Digital Corpus of Antiquarian Books on Ancient Coins in Early Modern Times". With kind support from the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Munich, the Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen, the Biblioteca degli Uffizi in Florence and the Kunstbibliothek of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin the number of digitized historical publications has been considerably expanded. Henceforth, the database is to be further complemented and upgraded by means of well-proven tools.

By providing the original coins, the Numismatic Collection in Berlin (http://www.smb.museum/ikmk/), the largest coin collection in Germany, will contribute to the verification of the literary tradition. The Numismatic Collection will identify, describe and take photos of all its coins from Caesar to Domitian, and present them in the interactive online catalogue.

The Census Project (http://census.bbaw.de/) connects the 16th- and early 17th-century literature on ancient coins, digitized by the Kunsthistorisches Institut, with the verified original ancient coin types from the Numismatic Collection in Berlin. By incorporating these documents and reproductions into the Census' database, a link is established with evidences of other genres of art.

The time frame of the project is three years (begun April 2009). Workshops and lectures will be held in conjunction with the project. Its completion is scheduled for 2012 with a special exhibition at the Bode-Museum in Berlin. The project intends to gradually expand the digital compendium of fonts, original coins and data for interpretation beyond the initial scope.
 



Database (preview)
Presentation of the project
 
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