Making A Mint

Every summer, within a specialist centre known as "La plateforme des arts du feu", the small town of Melle in the French department of Les Deux-Sèvres becomes a stage for experimentation in ancient metallurgy. It is here that a research team is trying to recreate all the stages involved in minting coins just as it was done in the Graeco-Roman era. As a model, they are taking the silver owl of Athens that was struck in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. However, the process proves to be problematic. The obstacles encountered by the team reinforce the researchers conviction that further experimentation is required before the production methods of ancient minting can be fully understood.