In order to have a clue where money comes from and how it evolved and spread through different cultures, the CHANGE project was born: a complete description of the coins of around 336 cities, four empires, 60 kingdoms and around 50 dynasties independent in this period and region.
The CHANGE Project is led by Andrew Meadows , Fellow and Ancient History Tutor at New College and former Curator of Greek Coins at the British Museum
CHANGE
Using Linked Open Data technology and through a collaboration with Münzkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and the British Museum, the team will assemble a database of around 50,000 coins in multiple public collections.
The project will use digital methods to collect evidence of the development of the monetary economy in ancient Anatolia for the first time. You will also put together a checklist of epigraphic documents that recorded currency changes in ancient Anatolia. As Meadows explains:
Anatolia is where minting begins as a monetary medium in the world, and this project will explore those origins and how it developed over time. We will use new digital technology to answer the main questions regarding the economic history of Anatolia. We hope to generate a new account of the beginning of the minting and its rise as a monetary medium.
The CHANGE project shows what can be done when ‘traditional’ research methods are combined with Digital Humanities tools. It builds on current initiatives in the field of linked open data, such as the Nomisma project.