Researcher Profile

Associate Professor Gil Davis

Director, Ancient Israel Program, Faculty and Education and Arts 

Areas of expertise: archaeology; ancient Israel; ancient greek history; archaeometallurgy; numismatics
HDR Supervisor accreditation status: Full
ORCID ID: 0000-0001-9436-5024
Email: gil.davis@acu.edu.au
Location: ACU North Sydney Campus

I am the Director of the Ancient Israel Program at the Australian Catholic University where we offer a full major and minor in Archaeology to students in Arts, Education, Theology and the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation together with an annual dig in Israel and school outreach. I was formerly a real estate agent with 25 years’ experience mostly on the Lower North Shore of Sydney.
My research interests are wide and varied. They range across ancient Israel, Archaic Athens, communications, epigraphy and especially numismatics and archaeometallurgy. My recent publications centre mostly on work done as part of a European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant titled ‘Silver Isotopes and the Rise of Money’ which is geolocating and isotopically identifying ancient silver ore sources and matching them with coins and silver artefacts. I am currently co-authoring (with A/Prof Ken Sheedy) a major history of Archaic Athens based on a comprehensive new corpus of early-Attic coinage and associated metallurgical studies. My edited volumes include volume 6 in the Metallurgy in Numismatics series, co-edited with A/Prof Sheedy: Mines, Metals and Money: Ancient World Studies in Science, Archaeology and History, (Royal Numismatic Society) and Registers and Modes of Communication in the Ancient Near East: Getting the Message Across, co-edited with Dr Kyle Keimer (Routledge). I have been the Managing Editor of the last seven volumes of the Journal of the Numismatic Association of Australia, the peak body for numismatics in Australia. I wrote a guide to selling entitled 'Sell for more' published by Harper Collins which is extensively used by home-sellers and agents (approx 30,000 copies sold).

Visit academia

Select publications

Book chapters

• Davis, G. (In press), ‘Silver Ore Sources, Coinage and State in Late Archaic Athens’, in Morgan, C. & Wilson, A. (eds), The Archaeology of the Ancient Greek Economy, 600–250 BC, Oxford University Press.
• Davis, G. (In press), ‘Rites and wrongs: the vexed case Against Nicomachus’, in Makres, A. and Rhodes, P.J. (eds), Demosia Grammata: Studies in Memory of David M. Lewis (1928-1994), Greek Epigraphic Society.
• Blet-Lemarquand, M. & Davis, G. (In press), ‘Scientific and Technical Applications’, in Bursche, A., Alram, M. & Bodzek, J. (eds), Survey of Numismatic Research (2014-2020), International Numismatic Council.
• Sheedy, K. & Davis, G. (2020), ‘Introduction’, in Sheedy, K. A., Davis, G. (eds) Metallurgy in Numismatics 6: Mines, Metals and Money: Ancient World Studies in Science, Archaeology and History, Royal Numismatic Society Special Publications vol. 56, London, pp.1-6.
• Stos-Gale, Z. & Davis, G. (2020), ‘The minting/mining nexus: new understandings of Archaic Greek silver coinage from lead isotope analysis’, in Sheedy, K.A., Davis, G. (eds) Metallurgy in Numismatics 6: Mines, Metals and Money: Ancient World Studies in Science, Archaeology and History, Royal Numismatic Society Special Publications vol. 56, London, pp.87-100.
• Sheedy, K. A., Gore, D. B., Blet-Lemarquand, M., Davis, G. (2020), ‘Elemental composition of gold and silver coins of Siphnos’, in Sheedy, K. A., Davis, G. (eds) Metallurgy in Numismatics 6: Mines, Metals and Money: Ancient World Studies in Science, Archaeology and History, Royal Numismatic Society Special Publications vol. 56, London, pp. 149-163.
• Davis, G., Sheedy, K. & Gore, D. (2020), ‘Significance of the Weight, Size and Purity of Archaic 'Owl' Tetradrachms’. In Sheedy, K. A., Davis, G. (eds) Metallurgy in Numismatics 6: Mines, Metals and Money: Ancient World Studies in Science, Archaeology and History, Royal Numismatic Society Special Publications vol. 56, London, pp.207-214.
• Davis, G. & Keimer, K. H. (2017), ‘Communicating in the Past; Connecting with the Past’, in Keimer, K. H. and Davis, G. (eds), Registers and Modes of Communication in the Ancient Near East: Getting the Message Across. Routledge, London, pp.1-21.
• Davis, G. (2014), ‘Where are all the little owls?’, in A. P. Matthaiou & R. K. Pitt (eds), Athēnaiōn episkopos: studies in honour of Harold B. Mattingly. Greek Epigraphic Society, Athens, pp. 339-347.
• Davis, G., Llewelyn, S. R. (2012), ‘Antiochus IV Epiphanes in Athens’, in Llewelyn, S. R., Harrison, J. R., Bridge, E. J. (eds), New documents illustrating early Christianity: a review of the Greek inscriptions and papyri published between 1988 and 1992. William B Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Mich., pp.87-91.
• Davis, G. (2011), ‘Understanding the earliest coinages’, in Wright, N. (ed.), Coins from Asia minor and the East: Vol. 2: Selections from the Colin Pitchfork Collection, Numismatic Association of Australia, Norwood, pp.11-15.

Journal articles

• Sowada, K., Newman, R., Albarede, F., Davis, G., Derrick, M.R., Murphy, T.D., Gore, D.B. (Submitted), ‘Origins and composition of silver in Queen Hetepheres’ bracelets from her tomb in Old Kingdom Egypt’.
• Vaxevanopoulos, M., Davis, G., Milot, J., Blichert-Toft, J., Malod-Dognin, C., Albarède, F. (Submitted), ‘Determining ore sources for ancient Greek silver coins using Ag isotopes and Sb anomalies, Journal of Archaeological Science.
• Vaxavanopoulos, M., Blichert-Toft, J., Davis, G., Albarède, F. (2022), ‘New findings of ancient Greek silver sources’, Journal of Archaeological Science 137, doi:10.1016/j.jas.2021.105474.
• Gentelli, L., Blichert-Toft, J., Davis, G., Gitler, H., Albarède, F. (2021), ‘Lead isotope analysis of Iron Age Hacksilber hoards in the southern Levant’. Journal of Archaeological Science 134, doi:10.1016/j.jas.2021.105472.
• Davis, G., Brice, L. (2021), ‘Introduction – Teaching Numismatics’, Journal of the Numismatic Association of Australia. Vol. 29, special edition, Openbook Howden Print & Design, St Mary’s, South Australia.
• Rollston, C., Garfinkel, Y., Keimer, K. H., Davis, G., Ganor, S. (2021), ‘The Jerubba'al Inscription from Khirbet al-Ra'i: A Proto-Canaanite (Early Alphabetic) Inscription’, Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology 2, 1-15.
• Davis, G., Gore, D. B., Sheedy, K. A., Albarède, F. (2020), ‘Separating silver sources of Archaic Athenian coinage by comprehensive compositional analyses’, Journal of Archaeological Science, doi:10.1016/j.jas.2019.105068.
• Albarède, F., Blichert-Toft, J., de Callataÿ, F., Davis, G., Debernardi, P., Gentelli, L., Gitler, H., Kemmers, F., Klein, S., Malod-Dognin, C., Milot, J., Télouk, P., Vaxevanopoulos, M., Westner, K. (2020), ‘From commodity to money: the rise of silver coinage around the Ancient Mediterranean (sixth–first centuries BCE)’, Archaeometry, doi:10.1111/arcm.12615.
• Albarède, F., Blichert-Toft, J., Gentelli, L., Milot, J., Vaxevanopoulos, M., Klein, S., Westner, K., Birch, T., Davis, G., de Callataÿ, F. (2020), ‘A miner’s perspective on Pb isotope provenances in the Western and Central Mediterranean’, Journal of Archaeological Science, doi:10.1016/j.jas.2020.105194.
• Davis, G. & Sheedy, K. (2019), 'Miltiades II and his alleged mint in the Chersonesos'. Historia - Zeitschrift fur Alte Geschichte, vol. 68, pp. 11-25.
• Marjo, C. E, Davis, G. Gong, B. & Gore, D. (2017), ‘Spatial variability of elements in ancient Greek (ca. 600-250 BC) silver coins using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS)’, Powder Diffraction 32(S2): S95-S100.
• Gore, D. B. & Davis, G. (2016), 'Suitability of Transportable EDXRF for the On-site Assessment of Ancient Silver Coins and Other Silver Artifacts'. Applied Spectroscopy, vol. 70, no. 5, pp. 840-851.
• Davis, G. (2015), 'Athenian electrum coinage reconsidered: types, standard, value, and dating', The Numismatic Chronicle, vol. 175, pp. 1-9.
• Davis, G. (2014), 'Mining money in late archaic Athens'. Historia - Zeitschrift fur Alte Geschichte, vol. 63, no. 3, pp. 257-277.
• Davis, G. (2013), 'Athens: the path to democracy', Classicum, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 25-31.
• Sheedy, K., Gore, D., Davis, G. (2012), ‘"A spring of silver, a treasury in the earth": coinage and wealth in archaic Athens’, Ancient history: resources for teachers, vol. 39, pp. 248-257.
• Davis, G. (2012), ‘Dating the drachmas in Solon's laws’, Historia - Zeitschrift fur Alte Geschichte, vol. 61, pp. 127-158.
• Davis, G. (2011), ‘Axones and Kurbeis: A new answer to an old problem’, Historia - Zeitschrift fur Alte Geschichte, vol.60, pp.1-35.

Books and thesis

• Sheedy, K. A., Davis, G. (Forthcoming), Understanding Archaic Athens from its coinage – the Wappenmünzen, Cambridge University Press, vol. 1.
• Keimer, K.H, Garfinkel, Y, Davis, G., Ganor, S. (Forthcoming), The Excavations at Khirbet al-Ra'i: Volume 1: The 2015-2020 Seasons. Israel Exploration Society: Jerusalem.
• Davis, G. (2011), Law, money, and the transformation of Athens in the sixth century B.C.E., PhD thesis, Macquarie University.
• Davis, G. (2008), Sell for more, Harper Collins, Pymble.
• Davis, G. (1990), The Athenian State Sacrificial Calendar, Masters thesis, Macquarie University.

Edited books

• Sheedy, K.A., Davis, G. (eds) (2020). Metallurgy in Numismatics 6: Mines, Metals and Money: Ancient World Studies in Science, Archaeology and History, Royal Numismatic Society Special Publications vol. 56, London.
• Keimer, K.H. & Davis, G. (eds) (2017), Registers and Modes of Communication in the Ancient Near East: Getting the Message Across, Routledge, London.

Edited journals

• Davis, G. (Managing ed.), (2011 – present), Journal of the Numismatic Association of Australia. Vols. 22-28, Openbook Howden Print & Design, St Mary’s, South Australia. Volume 28 currently in preparation.

Commissioned encyclopaedia articles

• Davis, G. (2021), in C.A. Baron (ed.), ‘Cleinias’, The Herodotus Encyclopedia. Blackwell, John Wiley & Sons.
• Davis, G. (2021), in C.A. Baron (ed.), ‘Gold’, The Herodotus Encyclopedia. Blackwell, John Wiley & Sons.
• Davis, G. (2021), in C.A. Baron (ed.), ‘Mining’, The Herodotus Encyclopedia. Blackwell, John Wiley & Sons.
• Davis, G. (2021), in C.A. Baron (ed.), ‘Silver’, The Herodotus Encyclopedia. Blackwell, John Wiley & Sons.

Projects

• 2018-2022, European Research Council Advanced Grant, Proposal N° 741454, ‘Silver Isotopes and Rise of Money’, Partner/Collaborator. F. Albarede et al., Ecole Normale Supérieure, Lyon - €2,500,000.
• 2019-2022, Macquarie University, Centre for Ancient Cultural Heritage and Environment (CACHE), Power,R. et al., – MQRC - $150,000.
• 2016, Macquarie University, Gore, D.B. et al. Mapping spectrometer for elemental analyses, IRIS Project ID: 9201602048 - $150,000.
• 2012-2015, ARC Discovery Project DP 120103519, Macquarie University, ‘A spring of silver, a treasury in the earth: coinage and wealth in archaic Athens’. Sheedy, K. et al. - $161,396.
• 2021-2022, donor funding for ACU qualifying as External Research Income: c.$2 million
• 2015-2021, donor funding for Macquarie University qualifying as External Research Income: $2,311,000

Accolades and awards

• 25-28 March 2013 - 1st prize for poster at the 41st international ‘Computer Applications in Archaeology and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology’ Conference, Perth for the poster entitled: ‘Metallurgical studies of Archaic Athenian coinage and the Laurion silver mines of Attica’.
• 6-11 Feb 2011 – 1st prize for best XRF presentation (with full funding to attend world XRF conference in the United States and a prize dinner) for paper at the Australian X-ray Analytical Association Inc (AXAA) Conference held at Star City titled: ‘ “Seeing through a glass darkly”: the challenge of elemental analyses through the patinas of ancient Greek silver coins’.
• 2011, Australasian Society for Classical Studies (ASCS) conference – OPTIMA prize for best presentation for paper: ‘Where are all the little owls?’.
• 2008, ACANS Junior Fellowship, Macquarie University.

Appointments and affiliations

August-December 2022, Visiting Professor at the Ecole Normale Supérieure, Lyon.

Editorial roles

• Managing editor, Journal of the Numismatic Association of Australia, 2011 – present.
• Associate Editor, Classicum, Classical Association of NSW, 2013-2014.

Public engagement

Selected invited lectures

• 20 April, 2022 - Metallurgy in Numismatics, Liverpool conference, (Gentelli et al.)‘The source of 5th century BCE “imitation” owls in the Southern Levant’.
• 2 February, 2022 - MAARC conference, organised full-day stream of 12 lectures on ‘The archaeology of the Southern Levant and the Bible’, and delivered a talk (Davis et al.): Silver Sources of Southern Levantine Iron age Hacksilber Hoards’.
• 28 July, 2021 – invited lecture to the Queens Club, Sydney titled ‘Excavating the lost Biblical city of Ziklag’.
• 9 July, 2021 - Goldschmidt conference, Lyon, 2 x Zoom presentations: ‘What did miners seek in Ancient Lavrion?’ and ‘Metal provenance of Late Bronze to Early Iron Age Hacksilber hoards in the southern Levant’.
• 26 May 2021 - invited lecture to the Friends of Hebrew University titled ‘Excavating the lost Biblical city of Ziklag’.
• 18 October, 2020 – conference presentation to the Royal Numismatic Society of New Zealand titled ‘Report on the 'Silver Isotopes and the Rise of Money' project’.
• 18 October, 2020 – invited lecture to B’nai B’rith titled ‘The Macquarie University Ancient Israel Program and the excavation of the lost biblical city of Ziklag’.
• 10 September, 2020 – invited lecture to the Queens Club, Sydney titled ‘Greek history: how do we know what we think we know?’.
• 24 February, 2020 - invited presentation (fully-funded trip from Australia with flights, accommodation and formal dinner at All Souls College) to the Classical Archaeology seminar series in Oxford titled ‘Silver ore sources, coinage and state in Late Archaic Athens’.
• 1 October, 2019 – invited and fully-funded lecture to the Australian Archaeological Institute at the Australian National University, ACT on ‘Rethinking Archaic Athenian History from its Coinage’.
• 13 September, 2017 – invited lecture to the Near Eastern Archaeological Foundation at Sydney University on ‘The Origins of Money: Silver Sources in the Ancient World’.
• 15 May, 2017 – invited lecture to the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens on ‘The Archaic Athenian Coin Project: Historical Implications’.
• 15 September, 2015 – invited lecture to the Friends of Hebrew University on ‘The Excavations at Ramat Rachel’.
• 14 July, 2015 – keynote to the ‘Future Proof Now Conference’, Darling Harbour, Sydney.
• 30 April, 2014 – invited lecture to the Australian Classical Association on ‘Dating Early Attic Coins’.