Long Table 152. Coining a Colonial Identity: Civic Coins and Colonies in the Roman Provinces
Channel: American Numismatic Society
Date: 2023-08-30

Robyn Le Blanc, Assistant Professor in the Department of Classical Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, will explore how Roman colonies from the first century BCE to the third century CE celebrated their colonial status on locally minted bronze coins. Looking at imagery with close connections to the imperial capital—in particular, depictions of the Roman civic foundation ritual and a statue of the satyr Marsyas from the Roman Forum—Le Blanc will  consider how civic coinages visually negotiated a colonial identity. What message did these designs express about what it meant to be a colony? How was this imagery adopted and adapted for local audiences? Did images of Roman founders and rituals replace previous civic traditions?