Electrum trite (one-third stater) of Sardis, Lydia, Greek, 650–590 BC, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum.
Lamont Library Forum Room, Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MA 02138
Jill Hari, 2010–12 Baird Fellow, Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, Harvard Art Museums
This study focuses on the Lydian technology of minting electrum coins, which are believed to have been the world’s first standardized coinage. Archaeological evidence, replication experiments, chemical analysis, and physical examination were used to better understand ancient metalworking techniques and other factors that influenced the invention and evolution of this early coinage. Key topics of the study include the sourcing, refining, and alloying of gold and silver; approaches to chemical and metallographic analysis; and comparison studies of electrum coins from other regions.
Free admission.
Sponsored by the Baird Fellowship.