Case Studies

Before diving into a full analysis of the Latin Imitation of the Coin of Andronikos, this exhibit first explores the question of interest in the context of two other exemplar objects from societies roughly contemporaneous to the Latin Empire of Constantinople- The Kilwa Kisiwani Sultanate on the Swahili Coast (11th Century-16th Century), and the Yuan Dynasty in China (1260-1368). While not geographically close to our civilization of study, these case studies provide valuable insight into the kinds of analysis made possible by the question and framework we have established thus far. Furthermore, they have been selected especially for the kinds of "head" and "tail" meanings that they employ, being very relevant to those at play in the Latin Imitation Coin. Thus, these case studiesallow us to understand how this framework encourages fruitful comparative study of currencies from across civilizations. 

One important aspect of the following object analysese is that the authority inherent in a currency would have to have been readily recognizable from the currency itself: thus all claims of how currency serves to create its own meaning must be based, at least fundamentally, on perceptible features of the currency object.