Project overview
This is a student-led project designed to commemorate historical anniversaries through the medium of timely blog-posts and twitter updates. Each historical event is selected by a team of volunteer students, who also source an ancient coin which is used to generate an accompanying image.
The images are created using the digital equipment and expertise on offer in the Digital Humanities Centre to produce high-quality photographs. This is a delicate task, since we aim to show as much of the ancient surface as possible but not exaggerate any wear, while ensuring appropriate care of the coins used in the image creation.
Finally, we put together a 300-500 word piece of writing explaining what happened, a biography of the main person or people concerned, and the historical significance of the event.
Research outputs
The research is presented via the Mint Imperials blog and twitter feed.
Each blog post is comprises a photograph of an ancient coin, numismatic attribution, and 300-500 words about the significance of the event. Posts are made available in conjunction with the event's anniversary.
The images are also presented to the holders of the coins, for potential use in curatorial work.
Images created by the project have been utilised in a forthcoming television documentary on the fall of the Roman Empire, and a recent retrospective exhibition by the Boots company.