S3, Ep. 5. A Conversation with Richard Abdy of the British Museum
Richard Abdy has worked in the Department of Coins and Medals at the British Museum since 1998 where he first processed treasure cases from England and Wales and now helps curate the BM’s collection of Roman coins. He is the inaugural winner of the ANS’s Collier Prize in Ancient Numismatics, which recognizes excellence in books on ancient coinage. Abdy’s book, Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC) Vol.II: From AD 117 to AD 138 – Hadrian (Spink, 2020), was selected by the jury as the winner in 2021. In this episode, Abdy speaks about his numismatic path to the British Museum from his days as a Glasgow schoolboy, explains the 1996 Treasure Act, expands the idea of numismatics as a living history, and recounts how he was held captive at lunch and decided to undertake a 10-year journey into the Roman Imperial coinage of the emperor Hadrian.
Total Time: 48 minutes
Music: Mogwai, “Glasgow Mega-Snake”
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