Money. Archaeology and antropology 2800-AKMONEY
The course will be conducted in the form of a discussion
between two presenters and course participants, aimed at
familiarizing participants with the various forms of money
that functioned in protohistorical and ancient societies
that lived in close geographical proximity (Barbarians
inhabiting the areas near Limes and Romans) or at the
same time. The geographical scope will include the areas
of the Ancient Near East, Greece, Rome and Barbaricum, as
well as Pre-Columbian America.
The aim of the course is to equip participants with a set of
concepts and tools that are necessary for critical analysis
of issues related to theories and practices concerning
means of payment, systems of exchange, barter, debt, gift,
etc. in an archaeological, anthropological and numismatic
perspective. The course will be oriented towards
indicating the relationship between forms of "money" and
the way in which societies that used them were organized.
Attention will be paid to the different forms of exchange
(different forms "economy" that could exist within one
society. In addition, it will be indicated the different roles
that money in different forms and coins could play within
different societies and organize social life in different
ways. The issue will be raised whether it was mainly
money that could contribute to the diversification of
different societies and the formation of elites. The subject
of the gift will also be addressed – its role in shaping
dependencies in communities, its role as a tool for
exerting influence, forming alliances and conducting
“diplomatic policy”.
The course will be conducted based on interdisciplinary
sources – anthropological, ethnological, archaeological
and numismatic. Literature and some sociological issues
will also be used. Thanks to this, participants will have the
opportunity to understand how the first “economies”
intertwined with other practices and rituals of everyday
life in protohistorical and ancient communities. The role of
“money” in shaping cultural identification and memory
will also be emphasized.
During the course, a case study will be presented, showing
the forms of separate use of money and its various forms
by protohistorical communities in Europe, the Middle East
and also in Pre-Columbian America.
An additional element of the course will be a trip to the
Money Museum in Warsaw.
Key themes (overview)
1a. Gift, exchange, barter, trade – old definitions, new
concepts
1b. The myth of barter and other forms of exchange;
rituals surrounding money
2a. Weight, value, money – a forgotten revolution?
2b. What did money look like before the invention of
money?
3. What is money? Concepts and definitions. Is money
purely an economic invention? The social role of coinage
4. Money and gender – why were some forms of money
not in circulation? Money, its various forms and functions
in the social perception of marriage and dowries
5. What is a market? Anthropology and archaeology (with
examples of central-place settlements)
6a. Money in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia
6b. How did the "barbarians" use money? – hoards, graves,
raw materials, currency(?)
7a. The rise of coinage – a new society and new culture?
7b. Imitations of Roman coins – did the barbarians "make"
money?
8a. Concepts of material value in the Metal Ages (or in
other periods)
8b. Did the barbarians have their own currency? –
hacksilver and silver hoard traditions
9. Found in grandpa’s coin jar? Coins as a tool of
identification and shaping social memory (Germanic
graves with Roman coins, deposition of "outdated"; coins
in hoards)
10–11. Visit to the Money Museum – course participants
will have the opportunity to explore various forms of
money; a moderated discussion led by instructors will
follow in subsequent sessions
Rodzaj przedmiotu
Tryb prowadzenia
Koordynatorzy przedmiotu
Efekty kształcenia
K_W01: Possesses in-depth knowledge and understanding
of theories and methods in contemporary archaeology.
K_W01: Has structured and theoretically grounded
knowledge of key issues in archaeology, including
terminology and theoretical frameworks.
K_W04: Holds advanced knowledge about prehistoric and
historical societies in the broader context of the
archaeology.
K_K01: Is prepared to critically evaluate interpretations of
archaeological and historical sources and understands the
multidimensional nature of interpretation.
K_K01: Recognizes the need to apply various methods for
the comprehensive analysis of material culture.
K_K02: Acknowledges the role of knowledge and the
necessity of consulting expert opinions when solving
theoretical and practical problems in archaeology.
K_K05: Is aware of the existence of multiple perspectives
and approaches to interpreting material culture, shaped
by differing cultural contexts and interpretive
methodologies.
humanities.
K_W04: Understands complex interrelations between
achievements across various disciplines within the
humanities (including social sciences).
K_W04: Is familiar with and understands diverse methods
for analyzing material culture relics and written sources.
K_U01: Can creatively apply methods from other
humanities and social sciences to interpret material
culture and prehistoric communities.
K_U01: Is able to independently draw conclusions,
construct arguments, and produce synthetic summaries
while considering diverse theories and viewpoints.
K_U02: Can detect complex relationships between artifacts
and ancient cultural processes.
K_U04: Can adapt existing or develop new methods and
tools to interpret remnants of material culture.
K_U06: Is capable of presenting research findings orally
using specialist academic language and archaeological
terminology.
K_U07: Can conduct scholarly debate on topics related to
Kryteria oceniania
Two instructors will implement the program based on a
discussion, to which course participants will be invited.
Participants will be asked to read assigned texts several
times, the reading of which will prepare them for a
discussion of the discussed topic.
Classes will be conducted, among others, using a flipped
classroom.
The basis for the final grade will be the activity of
participants during classes during the semester; taking
part in the discussion, short presentation
Allowed number of absences: 2; attendance at classes is a
key element of the entire group's work; in the event of a
greater number of absences, participants are obliged to
contact the instructor to arrange for catching up.
Literatura
Literature (for those with particular interest in the
subject), otherwise the necessary literature (short papers)
will be given during the course to be red for the class
M. Mauss, The Gift. The form and reason for exchange in
archaic societies (London-New York 1950)
R. Benedict, Wzory kultury (Warszawa 2019)
D. Graeber, Dług. Pierwsze pięć tysięcy lat (Warszawa
F. Kemmers, Money, Metal and the Social Construction of
Value, in: A. Flückiger – J. Bemmann (eds.), Coining Values.
Bronze between Money and Scrap in late Roman an early
medieval Europe (Wiesbaden 2024) 9–14
B. Maurer, The Anthropology of Money, Annual Review of
Anthropology 35, 1, 2006, 15–36,
R. Seaford, Money and the Early Greek Mind: Homer,
Philosophy, Tragedy (Cambridge 2004)
B. Malinowski, The Primitive Economics of the Trobriand
Islanders, The Economic Journal 31, no 121, 1921, 1–16
K. Heart, Heads or Tails? Two Sides of the Coin, Man 21 no.
4, 1986, 637–656
C. Meillassoux, Maidens, Meal and Money. Capitalism and
the Domestic Community (New York 1975)
J. Parry – M. Bloch (eds.), Money and the Morality of
Exchange (Cambridge 1989) (rozdział 4 i 5)
Warburton, David A. 2019. ‘The Formation and
Transformation of Value in Bronze Age Egypt’. In Weights
and Marketplaces from the Bronze Age to the Early Modern
Period, edited by Lorenz Rahmstorf and Edward Stratford,
143–84. Wachholz Verlag.
K. Polanyi – C. M. Arensberg – H. W. Pearson (eds.), Trade
and Markets in the Early Empires. Economies in History
and Theory (Glencoe, Illinois 1957) rozdział 4 i 13
A. Bursche – K. V. Myzgin, The Gothic invasions of the mid-
3rd c. A.D. and the Battle of Abritus: coins and archaeology
in East Central Barbaricum, Journal of Roman Archaeology
33, 2020, 195–229
A. Zapolska, Transfer of object only? Scandinavian
imitation solidi, in: A. Cieśliński – C. Jahn – S. Wadyl (eds.),
From Coast to Coast - Current Archaeological Research on
Cultural Exchange Along and Across the Baltic Sea,
Warsaw Studies in Archaeology (Warsaw 2025)
F. Hunter – K. Painter, Hacksilber in the Late Roman and
Early Medieval world – economics, frontier politics and
imperial legacies, in: N. Roymans – S. Heeren – W. Clerque
(eds.), Social Dynamics in the Northwest Frontiers of the
Late Roman Empire. Beyond Transformation or Decline
(Amsterdam 2016) 81–96
J. Assmann, Cultural Memory and Early Civilization:
Writing, Remembrance, and Political Imagination
(Cambridge 2011) (rozdział 1)
S. Fischer – L. Lind, The Coins in the Grave of King
Childeric, Journal of Archaeology and Ancient History,Sandel M. 2012. Czego nie można kupić za pieniądze.
Kurhaus.
Schaps, David. 2004. The Invention of Coinage and the
Monetization of Ancient Greece. University of Michigan
Press.
2015, 3–36
Sedlacek T. 2012. Ekonomia dobra i zła. W poszukiwaniu
istoty ekonomii od Gilgamesza do Wall Street. Studio
Emka.
Simmel G.1977. Filozofia pieniądza. Fundacja Humaniora.
2018)
D. Graeber, Toward an Anthropological Theory of Value.
The False Coin of Our Own Dreams (New York 2001)
Więcej informacji
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