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The Origin of Metallic Currency and Weight Standards — William Ridgeway

The Origin of Metallic Currency and Weight Standards

William Ridgeway

  • History
  • Book language: English
  • 425 pages

The Origin of Metallic Currency and Weight Standards is a historical study by William Ridgeway, first published in 1892. Using a comparative method, it examines how early societies developed money and systems of weight, drawing on examples beyond the usual ancient Mediterranean focus. It offers a thoughtful introduction to economic history and ancient metrology.

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Cover of the original edition (Project Gutenberg, public domain).

Text source: gutenberg.org · The work is in the public domain.

Contents

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

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