Tuesday, September 30. 1975
Ancient coins tell history to class
Bv LORRAINE JOHNSON
Staff Writer
Seaver is teaching "Studies in Ancient Coins and History," a satellite course of "The Ancient World." Students enrolled in this course take "all" one of several satellite courses.
Ancient coins aren't just items for collectors to fondle, but also can be important sources for studying ancient cultures. Saver, professor of history, said yesterday.
SEAVER SAID THAT Alexander of Macedon, founder of Alexandria, probably issued the first portrait coins. Alexander of Macedon issued a great number of coins about 330 B.C. with a portrait of his head on them.
"Often the coins serve as snapshots of ancient rulers," Seaver said. "In many cases these are the best portraits we have of ancient rulers."
"In many cases these coins that we study, particularly Roman coins, preserve a huge number of ancient works of art," Seaver said.
He said sometimes the only way historians learned about statues and temples that have been destroyed was from ancient commemorative coins.
"The Roman Empire particularly, whenever they won a great victory over some enemy or something very important, usually issued a coin for them," Seaver said.
In the Republic (500 B.C. to 30 B.C.), Romans tended to commemorate mythological figures or events of the past, he said. In the Empire (500 B.C. to 400 A.D.), Romans as propaganda for the ruling emperor to illustrate great greeds they had done.
Emblems on the first coins of history were often religious symbols. Seaver said.
"The first persons to really think of using coinage as we do today, with an emblem or a device on it which guaranteed the weight of coins and made them more valuable by Lydia that was in Aia Minor," he said.
THE FIRST COINS on the European continent were made on an island very close
He said another coin was made in Athens about 500 B.C. and had a portrait of an owl, which he kept.
He said early Roman Republic bronze coins were the earliest series of coins cast in molds. Some of these coins, made from copper, were 800 B.C., were several inches in diameter.
to Athens, Seaver said. He said the coin had a sea turtle on one side.
"From the beginning, coins had been all struck coins," Seaver said. "They put the coins on an anvil and had dies and struck them with a hammer."
He said that in ancient times the coins usually used by the poor people were bronze. Silver coinage was used by the warrior and gold was probably used by the state.
Seaver said the gold and silver coinage of the Roman Empire was controlled by emperors. The bronze coins were issued by cities, but many are now issued from cities of the Roman Empire.
"ONE COULD DO a whole course just on those coins issued by the Roman cities
University Daily Kansan
because of the immense number of types and interest in this edience. Seed gold.
and interest in this coinage," Seaver said. Seaver said an increased interest in ancient coins had increased the value of the coins. He said common ancient coins are valued at $1.00. At the other end of the scale, rare coins are worth $10,000 or more.
Debt...
From page one
John Hall, junior class president, said prospects for an active year were "still
Even though the $2 of the $12 seniors spend on their class cards will go to pay off the senior's share of the debt, future parties are still being planned, he said.
Hall said the class was looking into sponsoring a spring concert. However, unlike the conerts that lost the board in the past, the concert would be bought through a promoter.
Call 843-2535 for an appointment
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Louis Oeberson, sophomore class president,
said the debt payment plan was fair. He
said the class still had plans for a party Oct.
31 at the Free State Opera House.
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