Clare Rowan

Clare Rowan is a Professor and Director of Education at the University of Warwick, specializing in Classics and Ancient History. She is based in the Faculty of Arts Building and leads significant research projects on ancient numismatics and tokens. Her work bridges historical, archaeological, and anthropological approaches to understanding ancient monetary systems and material culture.

Her educational background includes:

• BA from Macquarie University, Sydney
• MPhil from University of Cambridge (Cantab.)
• PhD from Macquarie University, Sydney

Professor Rowan's research focuses on the potential of numismatic evidence for understanding broader historical and archaeological questions. She is particularly influenced by anthropological research in her approach to money, examining how ancient coinage functioned as a medium for negotiating power, expressing identity, and serving as a point of commensuration between different ancient cultures. She also investigates coinage in non-economic contexts (rituals, mementoes, decoration, public records) and works broadly on Roman visual culture, imperial and Republican history, and the Roman economy. Her groundbreaking 'Token Communities in the Ancient Mediterranean' project, funded by a European Research Council Starting Grant, provides the first comprehensive analysis of tokens in the ancient world, examining their role in cultural, religious, political, and economic life.

Professor Rowan has received significant recognition for her scholarly contributions:

• Warwick University Award for Teaching Excellence (2015)
• European Starting Grant for research on ancient tokens

She actively supervises doctoral students and teaches courses including Introduction to Roman History, The Roman Empire from Antoninus Pius to Constantine, The Roman Everyday, and The Hellenistic World. Her leadership extends to professional associations as Editor (ancient numismatics) for The Numismatic Chronicle, Council member of the Royal Numismatic Society, and member of the editorial board of the Journal of the Numismatic Association of Australia. Her ERC-funded Token Communities project brings together an interdisciplinary team examining tokens across the ancient Mediterranean, focusing on periods of highest token usage during the Hellenistic period and Roman world.