Dowler abstract 2008
Opportunities to publish coins in context: Merlin and MENCAWAR in the British Museum
There has been great effort in recent years to digitise the records of British Museum objects and to provide a richer variety of data. Digital images, for example, are increasingly important, as are dimensions and details of provenance.
Two current projects underway in the Department of Coins and Medals concern lesser known series of coins. Both the Aksumite and South Arabian collections have not received wide attention, though this is now changing. One of the major problems in researching these areas is the difficulty in collecting enough information, particularly technical details and images. I am approaching these two areas in two different ways: for the Aksumite coins a British Museum based approach (as part of the Money in Africa Project) to be disseminated on the Museum’s public access database, and for the South Arabian coins a link into the wider MENCAWAR project to publish all South Arabian material in the Museum.
Both these projects aim to digitise records and provide public access, but will also offer a clearer way to research these difficult areas by providing a window into comprehensive data. The aim is to link coins and their use into cross departmental and international projects to encourage a wider use of the material in context. In using these methods research will benefit from the use of coins in conjunction with inscriptions, for example, or with similar styles of artwork. International cooperation on elements of the work, and wide public dissemination of the data gathered will also hopefully bring more interest to these lesser known areas of numismatic study in conjunction with a wider understanding of the history and artefacts of Aksum and South Arabia.