Conference Presentations by Joseph Kurz
Ancient coins are an underutilized source of evidence for studying empires and their inhabitants.... more Ancient coins are an underutilized source of evidence for studying empires and their inhabitants. Numismatic iconography can elucidate the political and cultural outlooks of Mediterranean communities that received little attention from Greco-Roman authors. I examine the coinage of Carthage and the people it sought to control in Spain under the Barcid generals to better understand that final chapter of Carthaginian imperialism. Functioning as public documents for communal selfrepresentation, in addition to economic uses, coinage offered a key medium through which communities "spoke" about themselves and promoted their interests. While Polybius and Livy have preserved much detail about how Carthage's presence in Spain sparked war with Rome, their accounts reveal little about how Carthage's Spanish empire functioned or why it succeeded. Beyond the military genius of the Barcids, Carthage's rapid expansion hinged upon pre-existing cultural affinities between Carthaginians and locals. Contemporary coinage reveals the interaction of imperial and local agendas, with strategies of domination, cooperation, and resistance.
During Carthage's conquest and occupation of southern Iberia under the
Thesis Chapters by Joseph Kurz
This is a study of the empire that the Carthaginians established in southern Iberia under the Bar... more This is a study of the empire that the Carthaginians established in southern Iberia under the Barcid family from 237 to 206 BCE. Because literary sources are scarce, this empire has never received extended study. Using new archaeological and numismatic data, this work poses a series of historical questions aimed at exploring empire as interaction, emphasizing the relations between Carthaginians and the local people they sought to control in Iberia. The first chapter considers Polybius’ representation of Carthaginian relations with Iberians and deconstructs Polybius’ critique of Carthaginian abuses, which appear to be driven by Polybius’ own political and topical agendas. The second chapter considers the economic impact that the empire entailed for Carthaginians as well as for locals in Iberia. Many Carthaginians profited from new trade stimulated by soldiers and colonists abroad, which were funded by mining operations and extractions from locals. While many locals in Iberia suffered under Carthaginian exploitation, some allies appear to have taken advantage of new bodies of consumers to exchange their products to feed Carthaginian soldiers and laborers. The third chapter examines coinage to consider how Carthaginian minting authorities utilized imagery of Melqart-Herakles to legitimate conquest and stimulate interaction with local worshippers. It also examines local reactions to Carthage through civic minting, which reflects local strategies of shaping claims to civic autonomy and power. The final chapter considers the strategies and resources Carthaginians employed to coerce local inhabitants in relation with the potential for cooperation and negotiation with locals facilitated by shared cultural practices. This concluding chapter argues that previous interactions with Carthage and especially indigenous interactions with local communities with Punic cultural backgrounds fostered common ground among Carthaginians and locals, enabling negotiation and the legitimation of unequal power dynamics.
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Conference Presentations by Joseph Kurz
Thesis Chapters by Joseph Kurz