Gareth Williams

Curator of Early Medieval Coinage

Coinage of Early Medieval Britain and Europe

Department: Coins and Medals

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7323 8607
Email: gwilliams @ thebritishmuseum.ac.uk

Gareth Williams has been a curator at the Museum since 1996, with responsibility for British and European coinage, c. 500-c. 1180.  Within this area he specialises in Anglo-Saxon and Viking coinage. Much of his work focuses on the use of coinage as evidence within broader historical and archaeological studies.

His wider research includes the history of the British Isles and Scandinavia in the early Middle Ages, with particular interests in different types of economy, medieval warfare and military organization and the history and archaeology of the Vikings. He also works on the history of cultural identities, with a particular focus on the changing nature of British identity.

He has strong interests in experimental archaeology, and has been actively involved in historical re-enactment for several years. Since 2002, he has also directed a collaborative research project on the history of Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire. www.tutburyresearch.org

Current British Museum projects

Sylloge of Coins of the British Isles: British Museum, Anglo-Saxon Coins volume 10.
This volume covers the Expanding Cross and Pointed Helmet types of Edward the Confessor (1042-66), and includes a corpus of the Expanding Cross type, and the publication of the Appledore Hoard.

Acting as director of the Tutbury Castle Research project.
This is a collaborative project with Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire and the University of Birmingham, and covers the history and archaeology of Tutbury Castle and the surrounding area, including the Tutbury Hoard of 1831, the largest coin hoard ever discovered in Britain.

Viking Warfare and Military Organisation.
This book, due for completion in 2007, provides a general introduction to the history of warfare in the Viking age, together with a detailed study of the underlying systems of military organization and their broader links to Viking society.

Coenwulf gold coin touring exhibition.
This unique coin was acquired by the BM in 2006, and features in an extensive programme of temporary exhibitions. Venues so far include the British Museum, Norwich Castle Museum and the British Library, and the coin will be displayed at Bedford Museum from June 2007.

Previous British Museum projects

World of Money CD-Rom (1998). This CD provided an interactive guide to the history of money throughout the world, and explored the nature of money as well as how it has been made, saved, and used.

Paid in Burnt Silver: Wealth and Power in the Viking Age (2000). Temporary exhibition exploring the changing nature of wealth, power and society in the Viking Age.

External fellowships/ honorary positions/ membership of professional bodies

Director of Research, Tutbury Castle: www.tutburycastle.com

Advisor, Tutbury Castle Trust www.tutburyresearch.org

Publications

G. Williams, Silver Economy in the Viking Age, edited with J. Graham-Campbell (London: UCL Press, forthcoming)

G. Williams, West Over Sea, edited with B. Ballin Smith and S. Taylor, (Leiden: Brill, forthcoming 2007)

G. Williams, Coinage and History in the North Sea World, c. 500-1250, edited with B. Cook, (Leiden: Brill, 2006)

G. Williams, Sagas, Saints and Settlements, edited with P. Bibire (Leiden: Brill, 2004)

G. Williams, World of Money CD-ROM(London: British Museum Multimedia, 1998)