Brian Oglivie, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, presents "Ezechiel Spanheim's Metallic Archive"
Ezechiel Spanheim (1629-1710), famous in his day as a diplomat and scholar,
founded modern numismatics with his 1664 treatise on The Dignity and
Usefulness of Ancient Coins. His meticulous scholarship drew on a century
of antiquarian erudition, but it was made possible by the accumulation of
princely collections of coins. Spanheim's scholarly accomplishment was to
envision these collections as metallic archives, public documents that
could provide a firm foundation for disputed points of history.
A light dinner will be served.