Objects Revealed. Heavens in Your Hand: Astral Knowledge of Ancient and Medieval Coins

How did astral imagery shape the design and symbolism of ancient and medieval coins?

On March 20, 2024 we were privileged to visit the Münzkabinett (Numismatic Collection) at the Bode Museum in Berlin, a visit that left us with a deeper appreciation for ancient and medieval coins and their role in the dissemination of astral imagery. Dr. Karsten Dahmen, the deputy director of the Münzkabinett, warmly welcomed our MPIWG group and generously guided us through the museum’s fascinating spaces.

The tour included the library, study rooms, and digitization lab, as well as the impressive Münzkabinett Depot, where thousands of coins are meticulously stored with space to store even more in the case of an emergency. This behind-the-scenes glimpse into the coin preservation process underscored the immense care and attention to detail required for this invaluable numismatic collection. Holding a Roman medal, we couldn’t help but marvel at its weight and imagine Romans of the past carrying these hefty items—perhaps in small bags, as pockets had yet to come into fashion.

Eurydice Georganteli, a distinguished numismatist from Harvard University and a Senior Research Fellow in the “Visualization and Material Cultures of the Heavens in Eurasia and North Africa” (VoH) working group at MPIWG, led this field trip and shared her expertise with us. Among the thousands of coins, Eurydice had thoughtfully selected examples that depicted the heavens in various forms: celestial globes, comets, stars, the sun, the moon and more.

This rare, hands-on opportunity allowed us to explore the interplay between celestial symbols and the material world. Using magnifying glasses to study the fine details of these coins, we were struck by how astral imagery seemed to serve a deliberate purpose. These objects not only served as tools of exchange, but also as symbolic instruments, encapsulating complex ideas about the heavens, authority, and the cosmos— ideas that traveled across both time and space, enduring long after the initial minting of the coin.

In the VoH working group, we have been exploring the connection between coins and astral knowledge, and this field trip brought that research to life. It allowed us to engage with numismatic artifacts as primary sources and stimulated rich discussion among our group, with experts providing invaluable insight into the creation, distribution and cultural impact of these coins. This field trip also deepened our appreciation for the immense labor involved in preserving and documenting these artifacts. From the meticulous process of cataloging to the cutting-edge digitization efforts that make the collection accessible worldwide, it is clear that the Münzkabinett is not just a repository, but a dynamic space for scholarly engagement. The superb digital catalog, which offers unparalleled access to the numismatic collection, represents a valuable resource for scholars and enthusiasts alike, ensuring that these ancient treasures continue to inform our understanding of the past.

We left the museum inspired and eager to return in the future, particularly for the upcoming exhibition,

Sticky Fingers – Counterfeit Coins The Dark Side of Numismatics,

when we will have the chance to test our skill at distinguishing between originals and counterfeits displayed side by side!

In conversation with Eurydice Georganteli

Q1: What initially sparked your interest in Ancient and Medieval Coins

My lifelong passion for numismatics began in my junior year as an undergraduate, pursuing Archaeology and Art History as my main focus at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Being part of established archaeological missions and surveys at major ancient and medieval sites in Southeastern Europe at a young age proved to be an experience both eye-opening and beneficial for my academic formation. Questions such as what archaeological finds can tell us about a particular site and the local communities that once lived there, as well as how the networks of transport and power in the region and beyond affect the rise and demise of a site, are essential questions that I learned from being a field archaeologist, and which I now apply in my teaching and research. From the numerous archaeological finds I have been invited to record, coins have habitually featured low in the official lists of conservation and publication efforts. Small, often corroded, and challenging to decipher, they are unfavorably compared to the "big finds." Yet, their study can prove the most revelatory and rewarding for understanding a region's mineral resources, socio-economic and linguistic profile, and connection with the world around it. In that sense, coins are true capsules of history—both local and global—and art. Their materiality reveals their makers' economic resources, technological and scientific advances, cosmological preoccupations, political agendas, and aesthetics. Their circulation along trade, warfare, diplomacy, and pilgrimage networks has always transcended linguistic, religious, and cultural borders. Their reception, appreciation, life, and afterlife can shed the brightest light on the societies that once used and cherished them. These qualities of the ancient and medieval coins have sparked my initial interest and guided me in my trajectory as a senior curator and academic.

Q2: What aspects of the Ancient and Medieval Coins at the Münzkabinett do you find particularly intriguing or significant related to astral knowledge?

Berlin’s Münzkabinett is home to one of the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive numismatic collections worldwide. From its vast array of ancient and medieval coins, I wish to single out the following for their visualization of philosophical concerns regarding the heavens and astronomical events as a way to mark fiscal and monetary policies of cities and rulers.

silver tetradrachms of the island of Rhodes that convey the luminosity of a Mediterranean landscape through the imagery of the radiate head of the sun god Helios,
Roman Republican silver denarii with the Dioscuri, patrons of the army, riding high in the evening sky and spotlighted by stars,
a series of bronze drachmas struck in Alexandria under Emperor Antoninus Pius that feature the twelve signs of the Zodiac,
Byzantine 6th-century gold solidi with depictions of emperors as the masters of the entire earth, which they hold in the palm of their hand in the form of a terrestrial globe and by the power of the Holy Cross that surmounts the globe
15th-century Venetian gold ducats with the luminous image of Christ within two intersecting circles of light and stars.

Q3: From a digital humanities perspective, how do you see technology and innovation advancing the study of Ancient and Medieval Coins in relation to Astral Knowledge?

Technology and innovation open an exciting and promising new chapter in the study of ancient and medieval coins concerning astral knowledge. As a senior research fellow at the Max Planck Institute in the spring of 2024, I worked with a small and dedicated group of inspiring and highly skilled colleagues to develop cutting-edge digital tools for mapping and visualizing ancient and medieval coins. Core technologies, such as MapLibre, a high-performance, open-source mapping library, and Apache's ECharts for rendering charts and diagrams, provide an audience-friendly and pedagogically sound environment for exploring astral knowledge in the coinage of ancient and medieval Eurasia. These technologies allow us to build cohesive systems capable of displaying many complex datasets, which we can create thanks partly to the meteoric ascent of open-access data released by major museum collections in Europe and North America in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. More importantly, these same technologies offer us the chance to create educational tools that can open the study of the history of science through ancient and medieval coins to a global audience of school and college students, inspiring the next generation of scholars and educators.

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