Gillan Davis
Biographic Data
| ID | 3646555 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gillan Davis |
| GIVEN NAMES | Gillan |
| FAMILY NAME | Davis |
| SIGNATURE | DAVIS G |
| AFFILIATIONS | Australian Catholic University North Sydney NSW Australia |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 5 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 4 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 5 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
When is an owl not an owl? An analysis of Attic tetradrachms circulating in the southern Levant in the late fifth and fourth centuries BCE
International audience
Kyrbeis
Although no kyrbis physically survives and there is no completely unambiguous ancient description or illustration, the collective evidence suggests that kyrbeis were freestanding, three‐sided wooden objects with a peaked top, whitened or plastered to bear an inscription. They were used in the sixth to early fifth century bce around the Greek world to carry an authoritative text including laws, sacrifices, messages, and oracles or prophesies. At A…
Levantine Hacksilber and the flow of silver in early Mediterranean commerce
This study presents a comprehensive approach to provenancing ancient silver artefacts, introducing a novel algorithm to correct for mass‐dependent isotope fractionation. Applied to a Pb isotope database of 281 Hacksilber samples from southern Levantine hoards (1700–600 BCE) and compared with approximately 7000 galena ores from Spain to Iran, the analysis reveals shifting silver sources over time. Trade of the Levantine merchants with the pre‐ and…
Tyrants, democrats and the first silver 'owl' coins of Athens
Late in the sixth century BCE, the ancient Athenians overthrew the previous tyrant rulers and adopted a new democratic form of government militarily establishing themselves as a regional power. They constructed a fleet which played a crucial role in defeating the Persian invasion of 480/79 BCE and led to their creation of a naval-based empire. A key funding source for the ships was silver from the domestic mines at Lavrion situated in the south-e…
Identifying silver ore sources for the earliest coins of Athens
This study addresses longstanding questions concerning the ore sources used in the first series of coins of ancient Athens known as the Wappenmϋnzen (c.540-c.500 BCE) by combining comprehensive numismatic data on 22 coins (16 new and 6 legacy analyses) with lead isotope and surface elemental measurements (MC-ICP-MS and XRF). It finds usage of ores from Spain to Romania and Türkiye and frequent mixing. This upends current thinking based on a (mis)…
Identifying silver ore sources for the earliest coins of Athens
This study addresses longstanding questions concerning the ore sources used in the first series of coins of ancient Athens known as the Wappenmϋnzen (c.540-c.500 BCE) by combining comprehensive numismatic data on 22 coins (16 new and 6 legacy analyses) with lead isotope and surface elemental measurements (MC-ICP-MS and XRF). It finds usage of ores from Spain to Romania and Türkiye and frequent mixing. This upends current thinking based on a (mis)…
Levantine Hacksilber and the flow of silver in early Mediterranean commerce
This study presents a comprehensive approach to provenancing ancient silver artefacts, introducing a novel algorithm to correct for mass‐dependent isotope fractionation. Applied to a Pb isotope database of 281 Hacksilber samples from southern Levantine hoards (1700–600 BCE) and compared with approximately 7000 galena ores from Spain to Iran, the analysis reveals shifting silver sources over time. Trade of the Levantine merchants with the pre‐ and…
Tyrants, democrats and the first silver 'owl' coins of Athens
Late in the sixth century BCE, the ancient Athenians overthrew the previous tyrant rulers and adopted a new democratic form of government militarily establishing themselves as a regional power. They constructed a fleet which played a crucial role in defeating the Persian invasion of 480/79 BCE and led to their creation of a naval-based empire. A key funding source for the ships was silver from the domestic mines at Lavrion situated in the south-e…
Kyrbeis
Although no kyrbis physically survives and there is no completely unambiguous ancient description or illustration, the collective evidence suggests that kyrbeis were freestanding, three‐sided wooden objects with a peaked top, whitened or plastered to bear an inscription. They were used in the sixth to early fifth century bce around the Greek world to carry an authoritative text including laws, sacrifices, messages, and oracles or prophesies. At A…
Levantine Hacksilber and the flow of silver in early Mediterranean commerce
This study presents a comprehensive approach to provenancing ancient silver artefacts, introducing a novel algorithm to correct for mass‐dependent isotope fractionation. Applied to a Pb isotope database of 281 Hacksilber samples from southern Levantine hoards (1700–600 BCE) and compared with approximately 7000 galena ores from Spain to Iran, the analysis reveals shifting silver sources over time. Trade of the Levantine merchants with the pre‐ and…
Tyrants, democrats and the first silver 'owl' coins of Athens
Late in the sixth century BCE, the ancient Athenians overthrew the previous tyrant rulers and adopted a new democratic form of government militarily establishing themselves as a regional power. They constructed a fleet which played a crucial role in defeating the Persian invasion of 480/79 BCE and led to their creation of a naval-based empire. A key funding source for the ships was silver from the domestic mines at Lavrion situated in the south-e…
Identifying silver ore sources for the earliest coins of Athens
This study addresses longstanding questions concerning the ore sources used in the first series of coins of ancient Athens known as the Wappenmϋnzen (c.540-c.500 BCE) by combining comprehensive numismatic data on 22 coins (16 new and 6 legacy analyses) with lead isotope and surface elemental measurements (MC-ICP-MS and XRF). It finds usage of ores from Spain to Romania and Türkiye and frequent mixing. This upends current thinking based on a (mis)…
When is an owl not an owl? An analysis of Attic tetradrachms circulating in the southern Levant in the late fifth and fourth centuries BCE
International audience
Ancient history (3 works) · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History (3 works) · Archaeology (3 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (3 works) · Archaeology and Historical Studies (3 works) · Geography (3 works) · History (3 works) · Geology (2 works) · History (2 works) · Physics (2 works)