The sun., 1861-12-26

af,,r IT took place, used tho word that would be
understood 10 his time. When, a little later,
he records the purchase Of field by Jacob,
he uses the Hebrew word Keshid which is
translated In our version pieces If direr. This
word may also he translated lambs. II is an
interesting question why lamb AMI pieco of
silver should be identicl-in other words, why
a piece Of silver Of fixed and definite value
should be called a lamb. The explanation is
supposed to DO this, that the lamb or sheep bo-
ing an animal ofutility and frequently bought
and sold, Was originally the unit Of exchange
value. The most ancient Greek writers confirm
this idea, in such expressions as those Of Ilo-
mer who states values at SO many oxen, or 20
many sheep, as IL every one must know what
an OK or sheep was worth. An Egyptian picture
l. fund also in tomb, representing the steward
Of a rich man weighing out gold and silver by
weight, which arc shaped like lambs aud half
lsrtr the latter being the hind quarters Of tho
animal only. This picture is conclusive ON the
Ioin' that tho catly weights of gold AMI silvor
fer mercantile purposes was somehow regulated
with t,gcEcc 20 Tie lamb. Liyard found
such weights ~ Ninevoh. The same subject Ia
Illustrated by the earliest Italian coinage. THIS
is In copper, and the pieces which are extant
l-ar on their iaccs the representation Of animi4
Thus nom the Latin wo5l pcrpS, came tho word
pecuniG, ami thct &C. our Eullish rufd pccuR,d'v,;
10 that Il Is rcid actually hat its ungtn IN tie
remote Gust, m Of usng the slecp ct th0 dock rs
mediums Of exchange.
The ring money l. abuudintly re1r's ntrl on
tho Egyptian morumonts, and is referred to by
ancient rters. Tho ring' Of orient c,ul-
tries we're i,,hCd when pi'sed in trade. Toe
western nations sppeir 10 have ad'ptui syt-
tenn Of stamped Vi -, or a. lOAS, 'inCs which
passed without bOiDg woighci, at iK,dard do
hu,tc values
Alout eight centuries hcf,fo Christ M, n do.
vised tho plan ot stamping coins. Tho fret
coinage Wts of lod, and the first stamps
were Impressed only on one sido Of the coin
rude punch mark being the rovcrso. Ora iiually
the art progressed. Tho ppach was inlau'od ~
well ~ the die, aud at lengh tho reverse was
ID elal orato "a tho diverse. But during the en-
tire history Of ancient coinage IL aIycars that
the rude custom Of hammerng tho Gotta WAS pui
sued, and the irregular cdgoa werN never con.
iinod from spreading by the simple inyontiJn Of
a collar or ring.
The history Of coinage is no a mytlic,l mat
ter. We have regular and progressive series
OF OK ant specimens, from tho rudcst iin, to
thu splendid issues of the Mace luni,n mnta
Tho history remains therefore IN gold anl silver
and brass records, unchtngcshle, aud not to 10
mistaken.
IL has been well remarked that "a, history
Of coins confirms the scriptdro history nt III,
human rico. II man hal cxi,'od ten .hous and
years before Christ, tho art OF COMA - would
hardly hayo run back to ITS evident ori,ii At
only oi ,ht c,n'u-ic, before the era of jhr ,lar-
uy. When mon had 90 increase AMI sptct al
ON tho earth tha' such an art became ncccss 4.
~, then 1t was Invented. The age invcni'.
The tcmtrk wits true in ancient DAYS As nov. II
they hal ncciol steam engines and toicgrirh'
for the purposes of anCicnt civilization, they
would have htd them, and the toy uf r1bcs, Of
Mlotus, might have hccomc a lo'1m'tNo en-
gisc two thousand yeats earlier than IL did.