Introduction to Mines, Metals and Money : Ancient World Studies in Science, Archaeology and History

[Extract] In a landmark 1970 symposium organised in London, later published as Methods of Chemical and Metallurgical Investigation of Ancient Coinage (Hall and Metcalf 1972), invited scientists were asked to suggest how modern scientific techniques could be applied to numismatic problems. In particular, they were asked to explain the capabilities of their instruments and analytical methods and to provide up-to-date bibliographies. Ironically, perhaps the most startling findings announced in the symposium came from a study of Merovingian coins in the Sutton Hoo hoard using specific gravity (Kent 1972), a technique which can be traced back to Archimedes. Not all the speakers were scientists; there were also numismatists and historians discussing the implications of using information gained from scientific analysis, and exploring in some cases what they saw as deficiencies. Perhaps the most important outcome of this symposium was the momentum which led the Royal Numismatic Society to form a standing committee to further the application of scientific methods in numismatics, and the creation of a publication series in which to present current research, Metallurgy in Numismatics