Coins and Seals Summer Program

Coins and seals offer priceless insight into many aspects of the Byzantine world including historical geography, prosopography, paleography, art history, theology, and economic, institutional, and administrative history. Dumbarton Oaks’ collections of twelve thousand coins and seventeen thousand lead seals form the finest, largest, and most comprehensive specialized assemblages in the world.

For nearly two decades, the Byzantine Coins and Seals Summer Program has provided students with access to these unparalleled collections. Dumbarton Oaks will offer the program again this summer, from June 26 to July 21, 2023, under the direction of Dr. Alan Stahl (Princeton University) and Dr. Jonathan Shea (Dumbarton Oaks).

Program Description

Seminars will introduce the basics of the disciplines of numismatics and sigillography, including bibliography and the use of coins and seals as evidence for Byzantine political, economic, and art history. Students will be instructed how to read and date Byzantine coins and seals and how to incorporate that material into their research. Students will gain experience handling coins and seals both in daily seminars and will prepare an original piece of research which they will present to the group at the end of the summer school.

Admission Requirements

Applications from doctoral students in any area of Byzantine studies, junior faculty members teaching at least one course in Byzantine studies at a college or university, or junior curators with responsibility for Byzantine objects will be given highest priority. Other complete applications may be considered on a case-by-case basis if space is available.

Acceptance is contingent on verification of the applicant’s status as doctoral student, junior faculty, or junior curator. Two years of college-level Classical Greek (or its equivalent) is required for participation in the program and reading knowledge of French and German is highly desirable.

Accommodation and Expenses

Successful applicants receive a grant package, which includes accommodation (except for participants living in the greater Washington area), lunch on weekdays in the Refectory, and a library reader’s pass for the duration of the course. There is no fee for participation in the program, but participants are responsible for their own transportation costs.

Applications

Applications, to be written in English, must be submitted electronically by February 13, 2023.

To apply, applicants must submit the following:

• Cover letter, describing their academic background, why numismatics and sigillography are important for their intellectual and professional goals, and any potential topics that they propose to pursue as their research projects
• Curriculum Vitae
• Transcript of graduate school record (a copy of unofficial transcripts is acceptable)

Additionally, applicants should submit two letters of recommendation. Candidates are strongly encouraged to request one letter from a faculty member who has instructed them in an area of Byzantine studies and/or is familiar with their progress in Greek.

Selection criteria will include (but are not limited to) the program’s relevance to applicants’ present and future research projects.

For further information, please write to the Byzantine Studies program coordinator, at byzantine@doaks.org.

Past Years