A
11-Jul-98
John Liang |
Tools were indeed the beginning of Chinese coinage (save the shells). In the
old days, what you used as a necessity of life got transpired into shapes of
money, showing their importance. The earliest spade money were huge
imitation of real spades. I suspect some were big enough to be actually used
as minor spades. In later years, the shapes of knife (or rather, swords),
shell, fish etc. got to be used as shapes of money. Even the round cash (the
Pan Liang used by Chin) which dominated the future shape of all coins, was
said to be made in the shape of wheels, another important tool in the old
days.
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A
11-Jul-98
Sergey Shevtcov |
The question connected with the money system origin
in an ancient China is rather trivial, since described
practically by all authors, who touched problems of history of Chinese
coinage. In my opinion this question is described beside Peng Xin Wei,
Lockhard, Bykov and others. In brief - first coinage in the China have come up for the
epoch Zhou in the manner of copies of knifes, spade and hoes. On changing
the exchange trade (ram in exchange for 10 knifes or 2 hoes) come a trade
with using the coinage, as far as carry on the market heavy instruments of
labour was not suitable, moreover first money were exact reduced by the copy
specified labour tools. Archeological excavations of this period give that
acknowledgement. I have material, in which are described bronze knives of
specified period, as two drops of water looks like coins-knives - same
form, the hole and etc. Same pertains to other coins, appeared as copies
present labour tools. Since beside labour tools had a hole ( for
fastening to the stick, beside knifes - for fastening by the rope to the
belt), this hole is saved for coins and served already to carry them in
strings. In the course of evolutions of the form of coins a hole is saved,
since way of coins carrying in strings is renderred very suitable and is
ingrained in the China on two with the half thousand years. We will never
know, how an ancient Chinese carried their cash strings (in hands, on neck or in bags),
but we can expect that this problem they decided enough
easy, otherwise hole in coins disappeared old long ago.
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