Memoranda Numismatica Atheniensia 1
The new series constitutes a collaboration between the KIKPE foundation and the Benaki Museum and it is planned to appear annually. The focus is mainly on matters of numismatics, with an emphasis on aesthetic approaches at the same time. The name of the series creates the acronym MNA which intentionally hints at mna (or mina), an ancient unit of weight and currency, which consisted a value/multiple of the coin denominations — e.g. 1 Attic mna = 100 Attic/Athenian drachmai.
The 1st issue (2016) of the MNA series showcases the essay L’incomparable beauté des monnaies grecques. Les raisons qui fondent leur admiration by Dr François de Callataÿ (Royal Library of Belgium). The text was based on a lecture given within the Seminar “Numismatic meetings – chremata kai archai” —which has been co-organised by the Belgian School at Athens, the French School at Athens and the University of Athens— and was presented on 26 May 2014 at the “Kostes Palamas” building (Athens). François de Callataÿ deals thoroughly with the topic, going back among else to Plotinus (On the Beautiful) and Longinus (On the Sublime), to Winckelmann and Goethe, as well as to Theodore Roosevelt. The whole interpretation goes beyond a discussion in terms of aesthetics, building on analysis of empirical and technical elements from the fields both of numismatics and art history.
The first issue of the ΜΝΑ series was edited by Panagiotis Iossif (Belgian School at Athens) and Yannis Stoyas (KIKPE Numismatic Collection).
Vasiliki Penna had the scientific supervision of the MNA series when it was launched; subsequently, the supervision of the series was undertaken by Yannis Stoyas.
