Money Talks | Wine & Coins
Money Talks:
Wine and Coins
with Alex Conison, MJ McNamara, and Gilles Bransbourg
December 14
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
With Wine Pairing: Members $100, Non-Members $130
Without Wine Pairing: Members $50, Non-Members $80
One of the foremost components of the nectar that the Olympians drank to preserve their immortality, wine was sacred to the ancient Greeks and associated, through Dionysus (Bacchus for the Romans), with theater and poetry. Wine plays a major ritual role in Judaism as well, grapes, vines and amphoras being represented at different stages of Jewish ancient coinage, to the extent that Greeks and Romans believed Jews had a cult of Dionysus. Then, in the modern period, wine and grapes have resurfaced mostly on tokens designed to promote wine brands. Coins of Greece, the Attalids, Rome, Judaea, and modern tokens from France, the US and Britain will be presented along side a selection of wines linked to these locations and their ancient winemaking traditions.
Join Alex Conison, PhD on the Ancient Roman wine trade and senior brand manager for Jose Cuervo USA, and MJ Macamara, PhD candidate in classics and NYC chef, with our Deputy Director Gilles Bransbourg for an edible history of ancient Rome. Come and enjoy food prepared via ancient Roman recipes, paired with the wine produced by ancient techniques, and see the coins that would have paid for it all.
Mary Jean McNamara is currently taking her final exams for a Ph.D. in Classics at CUNY’s Graduate Center. Her M.A. thesis focused on citizenship grants in ancient Athens. Her current focus involves ethnic identity and citizenship. Prior to attending graduate school, Mary Jean worked as a chef in New York City restaurants including San Domenico, the Spotted Pig, and Blue Water Grill. Her interest in the food of ancient Greece and Rome centers on the production and trade of garum, the ubiquitous fish sauce that served as an essential ingredient in both savory and sweet preparations.
Space is limited. RSVP to Emma Pratte at membership@numismatics.org
Money Talks: Numismatic Conversations is supported by an ANS endowment fund generously given in honor of Mr. Vladimir Clain-Stefanelli and Mrs. Elvira Clain-Stefanelli.
