TEXNH: Making, creating, and agency networks in the Ancient Mediterranean world
lecture series and discussion forum kindly invites you to the lecture
“Silver in the Early Bronze Age: Its economic and social dimensions” by
Professor Lorenz Rahmstorf (Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology and Director of the Department of Prehistory and Early History at the University of Göttingen, Germany).
Discussant: Dr. Eleni Konstantinidi-Syvridi, co-organiser of the TEXNH series and Curator at the NAM
Abstract
Silver has been valued as a material for jewellery since at least the 4th millennium BC. Vessels and even weapons were also made from the precious metal. Apparently, it was its shininess which was appreciated, while its softness made it rather impractical for tools. But silver is also closely linked to early economic history, trade and the development of concepts of material value. Weights and scales were invented shortly before 3000 BCE, making it possible to accurately measure amorphous metal. From the 3rd millennium BCE silver was weighed out in Mesopotamia and took on the function of money as a medium of exchange, a unit of account and a store of value. Is this also detectable in neighbouring regions, even in the Aegean? In the lecture, the economic and social role of silver will be discussed, especially for the Early Bronze Age Aegean.
The event will also be streamed live. For registration please visit:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/1d8PXkfxS8y6HafAnQQqmw