Eagleton abstract 2008
The Money in Africa project at the British Museum: bringing together research, education, exhibitions, and international collaboration
Established in 2005 with an exhibition titled Wealth of Africa: 4000 years of money and trade, this project aims to create an understanding of the role of monetary systems in the history of Africa. From the earliest written and archaeological records up to the present day, this project will show the links within and outside Africa, and study the money-objects that have been used during Africa's long and rich trading history. We plan to bring together evidence from fields of study including numismatics, ethnography, archaeology and history. This mix of approaches will enable us to give a rich and informative account of the part that money can play in our understanding of African history.
The project outputs will include research and publications, the availability online of the British Museum's collections of African money, exhibitions and educational programmes in Africa and the UK, and the delivery of training and staff exchanges with curators in African and European museums.