Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-12-11
Mistsllaneous geaaiag.
ORIGIN OF MONEY.
Il Has Been a Medium Of Exchange
Since tho Dawn Of History.

ORIGIN OF MONEY.
Il Has Been a Medium Of Exchange
Since tho Dawn of History.
Money seems to us such an indis-
pensable article that we cannot even
imagine what we would do without
it. And yet Herodotus tells us-and
Herodotus was an honorable man
that when the pyramids and the beau
tiful temples Of Ibsampoul and Karnac
were built money was an unknown
quantity. Concerning the coinage sys-
tenn of ancient Egypt-after this era
we have little or. no knowledge, but
their standard of value was probably
the "outen" or ten" Of copper. which
was circulated in the shape Of blocks
or bricks and measured by weight.
The copper came from the mines OF
Mt. Sinai, which were worked as eur
ly as the fourth dynasty. Apparently
there was some little use Of gold and
silver, generally In rings resembling
the money Of the Celts, which was used
in Ireland as far down as the twelfth
century. The first money in Egypt
was struck off by Aryandes and was
more for the use Of the Greek and
Phoenician merchants than 1t was for
the convenience Of the natives.
The earliest use Of coins In the
Western World is generally ascribed to
Phiedon, King Of Aegina, who reign
ed, according to some writers, about
the year Ss5 B. C. Others have
brought the date down to 600 B. c.
If this is so we owe the invention to
the Lydians, about 700 B. C, when
Gyges held the throne. The question
Is simply one of dates. Rawlinson,
Barclay and others have defended the
claims Of the Lydians, and old Hero
dotus is very emphatic in his asser-
tions that to Gyges belongs the whole
credit. Even so, it would not rob
Phiedon of all his glory, for he 1t
was who first introduced the use OF
weights and measures.
The coins of the Lydians were oval
stamped with their weight and bear
ing their official value. They resem-
bled the silver staters Of Aegina, but
we're more regular in form. In the Old
Testament the word "shekels" is fire.
quently found, but as 1t denotes
weight as we'll as a coin we can gather
little or nothing from 1t. The earliest
mention Of money in the Bible proba-
bly refers to the coins Of Persia, as
the word "drachm" is a mistake for
the Persian "daric." This piece bore
on the diverse the figure Of the king
kneeling and holding bow and ar
row. The reverse shows a rude In
cuse. These were used about the ff-
teenth century B. c.
Long before this we find that Abra-
ham received from Abimelech l,Ooo
pieces Of silver. and again that Joseph
was sold by his brother for 20 pieces
but there is much doubt about the
meaning of the term pieces Of silver
One ancient Hebrew shekel bears on
the reverse "Shekel Of Israel, year A."
and above chalice on the reverse
Jerusalem, the Holy Triple CITY"
Some students say these coins were OF
the period of Ezra At any rate, ST.
mon the Maccabee, under permission
from the seventh Antiochus, struck on
the first Jewish coin.
The word money is from the Latin
"moneta." In Rome coins were nrst
struck in the temple Of Juno Moneta,
and the name Of the temple Is derived
from the Latin verb "monere'-to
warn, because the edifice was built on
the spot where Manlius heard the ap-
proach Of the beseiging Gauls.
The sou is from the Latin "solidus.'
Our dollar, which Is a corruption OF
"thaler," Is from the Joachims thaler,
the money Of the Joachims Valley, IN
Bohemia, where, in the sixteenth CEN
tury, they were first made. The word
coin is probably from the Latin
"cuneus," die or stamp. Many
pieces are named from their weight, as
the ENGLISH tiiS AsNA
the. French livre; others are called
from the metal, as the aureus, the
rupee-from the Sanskrit rupya-sil-
yer. Some are known from the ruler
of the country, such as the Napoleon
Louis dor and the daric.
The origin of our word penny Is un-
known. Possibly we have 1t from
pendo-to weigh, but this Is far-fetch-
ed and unsatisfactory. The English
pound was originally not a piece OF
money, but a weight, and comes from
the Latin pondus. The French franc
Is an abbreviation Of the inscription
"Francorum Rex" Guineas were so
called from the land In which the gold
was first obtained.
These are only a few Of the deriVa-
tions and origins. A complete list OF
them would fill a volume.-Baltimore
Herald.