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The Origin of Metallic Currency and Weight Standards

The Origin of Metallic Currency and Weight Standards

by William Ridgeway

Written by William Ridgeway and published in 1892, this academic study investigates the beginnings of metallic currency and weight standards using the comparative method. The author applies this approach to uncover new principles regarding monetary systems, expanding the scope beyond the traditional focus of numismatists and metrologists on Lydia, Greece, Italy, Babylon, Egypt, and Rome. The work also examines the distribution and early discovery of gold, and critiques the principles of linguistic palaeontology.

Language
English
License
Public Domain
Originally published
1892
Latest release
Jul 28, 2026
Pages
632
Format
6 × 9 in (152 × 229 mm)
Book type
Paperback nonfiction
Read
Public page

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Table of Contents

  1. THE ORIGIN OF METALLIC CURRENCY AND WEIGHT…
  2. PREFACE.
  3. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
  4. CHAPTER I. The Ox and the Talent in Homer.
  5. CHAPTER II. Primitive Systems of Currency.
  6. CHAPTER III. THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE OX AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF GOLD.
  7. CHAPTER IV. Primaeval Trade Routes.
  8. CHAPTER V. The Art of Weighing was first employed for Gold.
  9. CHAPTER VI. The Gold Unit everywhere the value of a Cow.
  10. CHAPTER VII. The Weight Systems of China and Further Asia.
  11. CHAPTER VIII. How were Primitive Weight Units fixed?
  12. CHAPTER IX. Statement and Criticism of the Old Doctrines.
  13. CHAPTER X. The Systems of Egypt, Babylon, and Palestine.
  14. CHAPTER XI. The Lydian and Persian Systems.
  15. CHAPTER XII. The Greek System.
  16. APPENDIX A The Homeric Trial Scene.
  17. APPENDIX B. What was the Unit of Assessment in the Constitution of Servius Tullius?
  18. APPENDIX C. Keltic and Scandinavian Weight Systems.
  19. INDEX.
  20. Notes