Richard Seaford interview Coinage and early Greek thought Richard Seaford explores the origins of tragedy, philosophy and democracy in the earliest monetised society. Radical Anthropology: on the coast to the west of electrum had a different and Can you outline your ideas Lydia. One plausible theory undeterminable proportion about the origins of coinage? is that it arose out of the best of gold and silver (and so a Where and when did it arise possible way for the Lydian different metallic value), but and why? monarchy to use its abundant numerous pieces each with exactly the same value could be created by stamping them with a mark meaning ‘this is worth x’. And so from the very beginning of coinage its conventional value was different from (generally greater than) its metallic value. This matters, because the pervasiveness of coinage in the Greek city-state was a central factor in a new kind of (monetised) society and a new way of thinking, both of which are in a sense still with us. RA: Can you sum up what it is in this earliest monetised society that is still with us today? RS: The first ever pervasive monetisation in Ancient Greek coin history (of the Greek polis) made possible for the first Richard Seaford: Coinage electrum to pay Greek time various features of arose at approximately the mercenaries. Each piece of Greek culture that have in a end of the seventh century BCE, in Lydia (in what is now western Turkey), where the pervasiveness of coinage in the Greek there was an abundant supply of electrum, a natural alloy of city-state was a central factor in a new kind gold and silver. But coinage was first used in everyday of society and a new way of thinking life in the Greek city-states 1 Radical Anthropology sense persisted throughout not occur in pre-monetary distribution (moira) came monetised society up to the society. to mean ‘fate’ indicates present. I confine myself here the importance of the to two examples. One is the RA: What are the special distributional imperative. idea that the abstract is more features of the ancient Citizenship was marked by real than the concrete, which Greek polis relating to participation in communal was a basis of much ancient monetisation? sacrifice, which also provided philosophy. Another is the a model for the egalitarian absolute isolation of the RS: In contrast to distribution of metallic individual: this is especially most ancient near-eastern wealth in standardised pieces. manifest in Greek tragedy, societies, the Greek polis where, for instance, Oedipus had retained sacrificial ritual RA: Can you explain the is entirely alienated from the that embodied the principle connections between ancient gods and from his closest of communal egalitarian Greek traditions of ritual kin. Both these features distribution. The fact that sacrifice and the origins of are familiar to us, but do the Greek word for this coinage? In contrast to most ancient near-eastern societies, the Greek polis had retained sacrificial ritual that embodied the principle of communal egalitarian distribution RS: Some of the vocabulary of early coinage comes from animal sacrifice. For instance, the word ‘obol’, used of a coin, comes from the word for a spit. In the communal egalitarian distribution meat was distributed on iron spits, which were of standard size as well as being portable and durable, i.e. they could be used as money (in a limited way). With the use of more precious metal in exchange, ‘obol’ was transferred to a piece that was of roughly equal value and so of much smaller size (and so even more convenient). RA: So if someone holds The ancient Aegean a spit does that imply that he 2 Radical Anthropology has a right to meat from the women and children too, is of (problematic) ‘invisible sacrifice? Is the spit – and as left out. Interesting is how property’, and are much it develops, the ‘obol’ coin – much money impacts such a concerned with (invisible) intrinsically a kind of IOU, or society simply through the bribery, whereas the debt? fact that coins can be hidden conservatively egalitarian On the one hand the new monetised order is egalitarian in that everybody belongs to the same regime of value... On the other hand, we find concern that the individual desire for money is unlimited away and accumulated. This Spartans for a long time RS: Probably the spits lets people escape sharing rejected coinage and were were distributed with so rigorously. Whereas ritual said to have had money in meat on them. They were sacrifice would be a highly the form of iron bars, which dedicated in sanctuaries and visible event demonstrating in high values could not be placed in tombs, because the participation of the transacted invisibly. they had communal prestige citizens, how quickly did deriving from their role in coinage promote RA: What were the communally central ritual development of inequality the political effects of of sacrificial distribution. It from a beginning so rooted in the development of was because they had this commensality? coinage in the process communal prestige that they of democratization? Was could work as proto-money. RS: Yes, it is a paradox. democracy a stable outcome Greek money (in contrast On the one hand the new or relatively improbable? to say Babylonian silver) monetised order is egalitarian Did all the Greek city-states was not just a generally in that everybody belongs develop the same way, if not exchangeable commodity: to the same regime of value why not? rather, it had a conventional (in contrast to separate value that depended on spheres of exchange in RS: The political effects communal confidence (and Homer), and, as Aristotle of coinage have barely in that sense was a kind of points out, the parties to a been investigated. Besides IOU), and so prefigured monetised transaction are – its egalitarian effects (see modern money, which is qua transactors – equal. On above), coined money merely transferable credit. the other hand, from Solon also promoted individual onwards we find concern that autonomy, which would RA: For anthropologists, the individual desire for – tend to dissolve the vertical this ritual sharing recalls and individual accumulation lines of patronage (based practice among highly of – money is unlimited: on reciprocity) that we find egalitarian African hunter- in this respect it contrasts for instance in Homer (e.g. gatherers such as the Hadza, with Homeric prestige Odysseus and Eumaios). where men celebrate sharing goods such as tripods, and This was, I suspect, a of ‘sacred meat’. Whenever with the Homeric principle precondition for democracy, large game comes into camp of reciprocity (voluntary which at Athens arrived a it has to be shared out, since requital). The Athenians mere generation or so after everyone sees it. No one, also invent the category coinage. Moreover, control 3 Radical Anthropology of the central supply of control the money supply of insignificant until the late money was (in contrast to most of the Aegean sea. sixth century BCE, by which now) visible and simple. It time it finally had coinage was usurped first in various RA: Does this then explain en masse and moreover had cities by the ‘tyrants’ and why it is so particularly begun to extract much silver then, at Athens, by the people Athenian political, cultural from the mines at Laurium in (demos), and remained and scientific developments south-east Attica. In a newly essential to democracy. that are renowned as ‘origins monetised world this silver Many of the numerous city- of Western civilization’? (together with gold and silver states minted their own from Thrace) was crucial for coinage, and so had this RS: To a large extent, the development of festivals potential for democracy. But yes. Coinage arrived in and of temples, for the origin Silver mine at Laurium Athens was a special case, Attica later than in the and splendour of drama, for not least because (almost cities of the eastern Aegean, the building of a fleet, and uniquely) it had its own where philosophy originated eventually for Athens as a supplies of silver, and then in the early sixth century cultural centre to which (as came in the fifth century to BCE. Athens was culturally we see in the dialogues of 4 Radical Anthropology Plato) philosophers were who are not also kin of her upcoming project to compare attracted from various parts husband. The isolation of the Greek with early Indian of the Greek world. wife in such circumstances thought? prompted the Athenian polis RA: The origin of coinage to legislate to protect her, RS: There are, from the on this account is related and was a central issue of sixth century BCE, striking strongly to a ritual egalitarian Aeschylus’ Suppliants. It is similarities between Indian ethos among citizens of in reaction to the effect of and Greek thought that the polis: Greek men. But money on marriage that other are found nowhere else. what about those excluded – tragedies focus on incest (the For instance, we find in women and slaves? How was extreme form of endogamy): both cultures the counter- women’s status and position Sophocles’ Oedipus intuitive idea that all that affected by the invention of Tyrannus, for instance, exists is unitary and abstract coinage? Did this materially connects incest with the (so diversity and change is affect gender relations autonomous accumulation of unreal). Such similarities are and forms of marriage for money. almost always ascribed to example? influence, which is however At the conceptual level, most unlikely before RS: It is difficult to Greek metaphysics, which Alexander crossed the Indus tell. Money promotes the is profoundly influenced by in 326 BCE.