Alexandria was one of the great centres of trade and culture in the Roman world, and yet it was once believed that the coinage produced there for Egypt was derivative and even unintelligent. The lecture draws on extensive work on the Antonine period (AD 138–192) in connection with the Roman Provincial Coinage Project to reassess the significance of the rich numismatic iconography, which includes depictions of buildings, statues, and paintings, and ranges from imperial to local themes, from the Roman value-system of divine qualities to Greek mythology, and from Graeco-Roman religion to Egyptian-style animal worship.

Professor Christopher Howgego became curator of Greek and Roman Coins at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford in 1988, and has been Keeper of the Heberden Coin Room in the Ashmolean since 2006.  He is also Professor of Greek and Roman Numismatics in the University of Oxford, and holds an Honorary Professorship at the University of Warwick.  He has curated many numismatics displays for the Ashmolean and other galleries.

Professor Howgego’s research explores how ancient coinage can contribute to our understanding of history, and his interests range across many spheres including economic, monetary, political and cultural.  He is the author of Ancient History from Coins and has written widely on Roman coinage and history. He is an editor of the series Roman Imperial Coinage and Roman Provincial Coinage, and is the founding Director of the Roman Provincial Coinage Online project.

The Committee of the Friends of the ANU Classics Museum would like to thank all Friends for their continuing support of this splendid teaching and learning facility that is open to the entire community.