This digital exhibition presents twelve Late Roman coins in the collection of the Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature, one of the University Museums at the University of Richmond. It was created by students in two courses in the Department of Classical Studies in Fall 2020, Roman Art & Archaeology (Classics 302) and Elementary Latin (Latin 101). Latin students transcribed and analyzed the coin legends, while Roman Art students interpreted the iconography, and a team of students from both classes designed and produced the website.
The Lora Robins Gallery holds a collection of more than 1,000 ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine coins donated by Dr. and Mrs. Chris Theodotou (1979) and Dr. Pliny Price (1980). While the Department of Classical Studies at UR does not condone private collection and trade of ancient coins because it contributes to looting and damage of archaeological sites and the irreparable loss of archaeological context, we recognize the educational value of these artifacts and are committed to sharing them with our students and the public through projects and exhibitions such as this one. For more information on the importance of carefully documented archaeological context in the study of numismatics, see the Archaeological Institute of America's statement on "Coins and Archaeology" (2007). See also, the acquisitions policy of UR's Ancient World Gallery.
Special thanks to the student production team (Natalie Benham, '23; Colette Creamer, '21; Daniel Saravia Romero, '23; and Joshua Schneider, '21); Martha Wright, Assistant Curator of Academic and Public Engagement; Matthew Houle, Curator of Museum Collections; and David Hershey, Assistant Collections Manager.