How did silver mint Europe’s first democracies?
Europe’s history is written in silver – from the names and faces stamped into coins from the 6th century BCE onward, to the chemistry of the metal itself. Using a pioneering isotope analysis to trace antique silver coins to the mines where the metal was first extracted, researchers for the EU-funded SILVER project were able to map the movement of coinage and people across Europe. The project has now been featured in the CORDIS series of explanatory videos titled ‘Make the connection with EU science’. Led by Francis Albarède at ENS Lyon, the project identified how silver produced in Aegean mines found its way to Carthage in Africa, where it was traded for cereals, and migrated to the treasure rooms of the Persian Empire as paid tributes – before returning to Europe. “In 330 BC, Alexander the Great captured enough silver from the Persian palaces such as Persepolis and Susa, to load on 150 semi-trailer trucks,” says Albarède. This coincided with the rise of democratic city states in Europe, which Albarède connects to the influx of now-wealthy mercenaries demanding better representation. ‘Make the connection with EU science’ is a series of explanatory videos focusing on the scientific content and exploitation aspects of EU research projects.
Keywords
SILVER, European Research Council, lead isotopes, bullion, isotopic analysis, antiquity, Alexander the Great, ancient Greece, Mediterranean basin, mining, monetisation, trade