Lecture by Dr. Michel Amandry

Last Wednesday I attended lecture by Dr. Michel Amandry, Directory of the Department of Coins and Medals at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.

The lecture was on Roman Provincial coins. It followed the ANS's presentation of the 2004 Huntington medal for numismatic scholarship to Dr. Amandry. (Dr. Amandry is co-author of RPC and several volumes of SNG Paris.)

The lecture featured slides and discussions of interesting Provincial coins in the Paris cabinet, including a specimen of one of my favorites: Perseus wearing the "Medusa-hat" similar to this example.

Dr. Amandry's pronunciation was difficult for me. This is not his fault; it's mine. I am self-taught, from books, and don't know the correct pronunciations of Greek and Latin and French names. Both Amandry and the presenter (Ute Wartenburg) were talking about Ernest Babelon. It turns out "Babelon" has two syllables. I thought it had three, based on (the tower of) "Babel" and "Babelicious", the only words I know in English that begin "BABE..." (other than, obviously, the word "Babe").

I got my picture taken with Dr. Amandry but did not meet him. I couldn't think of anything to say to him other than that I like his book SNG Paris: Pamphylie, Pisidie, Lycaonie, Galatie. Actually I have some difficult questions about that book I want to ask him, but they are the kind of questions that are best asked when the author has ready access to reference materials, not at a dinner in-honor-of.