Iconographic Trends in Roman Imperial Coinage in the Context of Societal Changes in the Second and Third Centuries CE: A Small-Scale Test of the Affluence Hypothesis

IF 0.9 3区历史学 0 ARCHAEOLOGY

Open Archaeology Pub Date : 2023-01-01 DOI:10.1515/opar-2022-0308

T. Glomb, Vojtěch Kaše, Viktor Zavřel

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Abstract

Abstract This article presents a quantitative analysis of iconographic trends in the depiction of deities in the coinage of the Roman Empire throughout the second and third centuries CE to explore temporal shifts in Roman imperial propaganda in the context of developments and pressures in affluence, prosperity, and political stability. Next to providing deeper insight into the topic of Roman imperial ideology, the article’s main objective is to test the validity of the so-called affluence hypothesis from the debate on cultural evolution. The hypothesis predicts that an increase in affluence and prosperity leads to the emergence of moralizing themes in religion. Based on the comparison of the iconographic trends in Roman coinage, as represented by the Online Coins of the Roman Empire project portal of coin types, with changes in affluence and prosperity indicators for the period of the second and third centuries CE, the results suggest that in times of political stability and prosperity, Roman Empire emphasized moralizing deities on coins more often than in times of crisis. In contrast, martial deities and those oriented on dominating power were promoted on coins more frequently in turbulent times. In this small-scale case study, the results support the arguments of the affluence hypothesis.

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公元二、三世纪社会变迁背景下罗马帝国铸币的肖像学趋势:富裕假设的小规模检验

摘要:本文对公元2世纪和3世纪罗马帝国铸币中神灵形象的趋势进行了定量分析，以探索罗马帝国宣传在富裕、繁荣和政治稳定的发展和压力背景下的时间变化。除了对罗马帝国意识形态的主题提供更深入的了解之外，本文的主要目的是从文化进化的辩论中检验所谓的富裕假设的有效性。该假说预测，财富和繁荣的增加会导致宗教中道德化主题的出现。以罗马帝国在线硬币项目门户网站的硬币类型为代表的罗马硬币的图像趋势与公元2世纪和3世纪期间富裕和繁荣指标的变化进行比较，结果表明，在政治稳定和繁荣时期，罗马帝国比在危机时期更多地强调硬币上的道德说教。相比之下，在动荡时期，武神和那些以统治权力为导向的神更频繁地在硬币上得到提升。在这个小规模的案例研究中，结果支持了富裕假设的论点。

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来源期刊

Open Archaeology ARCHAEOLOGY-

CiteScore

1.70

自引率

12.50%

发文量

审稿时长

10 weeks

期刊介绍： Open Archaeology is a forum of novel approaches to archaeological theory, methodology and practice, and an international medium for the dissemination of research data and interdisciplinary projects. Scope of the journal includes, but is not restricted to: World Archaeology - discoveries and research Archaeological science Theory and interpretation in archaeology Archaeological heritage preservation and management.