Classical coins at the Cape: a history and catalogue of the Greek and Roman numismatic collections in Iziko Museums of South Africa

dc.contributor.advisorMurray, Jeffrey
dc.contributor.authorNissen, Leigh
dc.date.accessioned2025-09-18T11:33:48Z
dc.date.available2025-09-18T11:33:48Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.date.updated2025-09-18T11:24:58Z
dc.description.abstractThe collection of ancient Greek and Roman coins held by Iziko Museums of South Africa has been a part of the museum's primary collections since the South African Museum's inception in 1825. Over the years, this numismatic collection has developed via donations (for example those by Hajee Sullaiman Shah Mahomed); loans (such as the Mann Collection), and by various purchases made by the curators of the numismatic department itself. To date no complete catalogue or sylloge exists. Based upon the museum's own accession registers, archival research, and physical examination of the collection, this dissertation provides the first complete catalogue of the Greek and Roman coins in the museum's holdings. In doing so, a brief history of the establishment of the museum is given, along with its collecting practices of ancient coinage; a history of the numismatic department; and a history of numismatic display and curation in the museum, as far as this has been possible from the museum's own archival records, letters, and unpublished notes. In providing the first, accessible catalogue and history of the Greek and Roman coins in the museum, this dissertation also enters current conversations around curation, conservation, and display within museum spaces in South Africa and suggests future possibilities for antiquities collections of this nature within museum spaces in the country more generally.
dc.identifier.apacitationNissen, L. (2025). <i>Classical coins at the Cape: a history and catalogue of the Greek and Roman numismatic collections in Iziko Museums of South Africa</i>. (). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Languages and Literatures. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41863en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationNissen, Leigh. <i>"Classical coins at the Cape: a history and catalogue of the Greek and Roman numismatic collections in Iziko Museums of South Africa."</i> ., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Languages and Literatures, 2025. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41863en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationNissen, L. 2025. Classical coins at the Cape: a history and catalogue of the Greek and Roman numismatic collections in Iziko Museums of South Africa. . University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Languages and Literatures. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41863en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Nissen, Leigh AB - The collection of ancient Greek and Roman coins held by Iziko Museums of South Africa has been a part of the museum's primary collections since the South African Museum's inception in 1825. Over the years, this numismatic collection has developed via donations (for example those by Hajee Sullaiman Shah Mahomed); loans (such as the Mann Collection), and by various purchases made by the curators of the numismatic department itself. To date no complete catalogue or sylloge exists. Based upon the museum's own accession registers, archival research, and physical examination of the collection, this dissertation provides the first complete catalogue of the Greek and Roman coins in the museum's holdings. In doing so, a brief history of the establishment of the museum is given, along with its collecting practices of ancient coinage; a history of the numismatic department; and a history of numismatic display and curation in the museum, as far as this has been possible from the museum's own archival records, letters, and unpublished notes. In providing the first, accessible catalogue and history of the Greek and Roman coins in the museum, this dissertation also enters current conversations around curation, conservation, and display within museum spaces in South Africa and suggests future possibilities for antiquities collections of this nature within museum spaces in the country more generally. DA - 2025 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - Hajee Sullaiman Shah Mahomed Collection KW - Mann Collection KW - Greek and Roman coins KW - Numismatics KW - South African Cultural History Museum KW - Iziko Museums of South Africa KW - Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2025 T1 - Classical coins at the Cape: a history and catalogue of the Greek and Roman numismatic collections in Iziko Museums of South Africa TI - Classical coins at the Cape: a history and catalogue of the Greek and Roman numismatic collections in Iziko Museums of South Africa UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41863 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/41863
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationNissen L. Classical coins at the Cape: a history and catalogue of the Greek and Roman numismatic collections in Iziko Museums of South Africa. []. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Languages and Literatures, 2025 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41863en_ZA
dc.language.isoen
dc.language.rfc3066eng
dc.publisher.departmentSchool of Languages and Literatures
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanities
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subjectHajee Sullaiman Shah Mahomed Collection
dc.subjectMann Collection
dc.subjectGreek and Roman coins
dc.subjectNumismatics
dc.subjectSouth African Cultural History Museum
dc.subjectIziko Museums of South Africa
dc.subjectCape Town
dc.titleClassical coins at the Cape: a history and catalogue of the Greek and Roman numismatic collections in Iziko Museums of South Africa
dc.typeThesis / Dissertation
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
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