La più antica zecca del mondo?

[petronius arbiter]

Sarebbe cinese la più antica zecca al mondo. Quella prodotta nell’antica fonderia di bronzo di Guanzhuang, rappresenterebbe la prima moneta metallica standardizzata al mondo: gli studiosi pensano che la zecca abbia iniziato a funzionare tra il 640 e il 550 a.C.

Oltre all’edificio della fonderia, sono state rinvenute delle officine dove venivano prodotti manufatti in bronzo, ma anche in ceramica, giada e osso. Tutto questo dimostrerebbe che la città era un ricco centro artigianale. La struttura più importante, per volume e funzione, rimarrebbe la fonderia: la attorniano oltre 2000 fosse di tre metri di larghezza, nelle quali venivano accumulati gli scarti della produzione. Qui sono stati ritrovati degli strumenti impiegati durante le fusioni, come crogioli e mestoli. E, soprattuo, una coppia di monete a forma di vanga, insieme a 54 stampi di argilla. Tra i due esemplari, quello meglio conservato consiste in una vanga a punta che, in origine, doveva misurare più di cinque pollici di lunghezza (12,7 centimetri) e riporta tre linee parallele sulla superficie. I 54 nuclei di argilla, usati per la fusione delle monete in rame, stagno e piombo, dimostrano che l’intero processo di coniazione, compresa la produzione di stampi e la fusione delle monete, avveniva nella fonderia.

https://www.artribune.com/arti-visive/archeologia-arte-antica/2021/08/scoperta-a-guanzhuang-la-piu-antica-zecca/?utm_source=Newsletter Artribune&utm_campaign=fc896dca36-&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_dc515150dd-fc896dca36-154214486&ct=t()&goal=0_dc515150dd-fc896dca36-154214486

petronius

[ARES III]

[ARES III]

World’s oldest coin mint is discovered in China

 todayuknews

2 weeks ago

The world’s oldest known coin mint, beginning operation between 640 and 550 BC, has been discovered in China. 

It produced the first metal ‘spade coins’ – named because of their similarity to the gardening tool – more than 2,600 years ago. 

The ‘highly-organised’ site was capable of mass-producing the first metal currency and helps shed light on the origins of money, archaeologists said. 

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The world’s oldest known coin mint, beginning operation between 640 and 550 BC, has been found in China. It produced the first metal ‘spade coins’ (pictured with the tip reconstructed based on a coin mould from the site) – named because of their similarity to the gardening tool

 

View from above: The ‘highly-organised’ site was capable of mass-producing the first metal currency, archaeologists said. Pictured is an aerial view of the foundry in Guanzhuang

 

Previous research has suggested that coins were first issued by merchants, making it much easier to trade, transport and count wealth. However, the mint at Guanzhuang is located close to the edge of the outer city, near the gates to the administrative inner city 

(pictured)

WHAT IS CARBON DATING AND HOW IS IT USED? 

Carbon dating, also referred to as radiocarbon dating or carbon-14 dating, is a method that is used to determine the age of an object. 

Carbon-14 is a carbon isotope that is commonly used by archaeologists and historians to date ancient bones and artefacts.

The rate of decay of carbon-14 is constant and easily measured, making it ideal for providing age estimates for anything over 300 years old.  

It can only be used on objects containing organic material – that was once ‘alive’ and therefore contained carbon. 

Carbon-14 occurs naturally in the atmosphere as part of carbon dioxide, and animals absorb it when they breathe. Animals stop taking it in when they die, and a finite amount of the chemical is stored in the body. 

Radioactive substances all have a half-life, the length of time it takes for a material to lose half of its radioactivity. 

Carbon-14 has a long half-life, 5,370 years to be exact. This long half-life can be used to find out how old objects are by measuring how much radioactivity is left in a specimen.

Due to the long half-life, archaeologists have been able to date items up to 50,000 years old.  

Radiocarbon dating was first invented in the 1940s by an American physical chemist called Willard Libby. He won the 1960 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery.

They made the discovery during excavations at Guanzhuang, a city and administrative centre of the Zheng state – a regional power before the rise of Imperial China. 

Researchers uncovered part of a bronze foundry with dozens of used and unused coin moulds along with coin fragments and metal debris. Together, these confirm this part of the foundry was a coin mint.  

Analysis of the finds reveals the mint was ‘highly organised’ and produced ‘spade coins’ in a standardised fashion. 

Spade coins are the oldest known Chinese metal currency and possibly the first in the world, estimated to have been first minted between 750-500 BC. 

They were used by the Zheng and surrounding regions until they were abolished by the first emperor of China in 221 BC.

‘The Guanzhuang foundry started around 770 BC, but at first it mainly produced ritual vessels, weapons and tools,’ said lead author of the research Dr Hao Zhao from Zhengzhou University.

‘It is about 150 years later that the minting activities appeared in this foundry.’ 

Radiocarbon dating of the Guanzhuang mint indicates it started operation sometime between 640-550 BC. 

This places it early in the spade coin’s history and means those found at the site are the oldest examples of metal currency ever discovered in China. Although other early mints have been found, none have been radiocarbon dated. 

Researchers hope this new site, located in 

Henan Province, can shed light on the chronology of money and how it developed. 

Previous research has suggested that coins were first issued by merchants, making it much easier to trade, transport and count wealth. 

However, the mint at Guanzhuang is located close to the edge of the outer city, near the gates to the administrative inner city. 

This could indicate that the government was involved in the early history of currency, archaeologists believe, although the limited number of artefacts found at the site means the exact affiliation of the foundry cannot yet be confirmed. 

Archaeologists made the discovery during excavations at Guanzhuang (pictured), a city and administrative centre of the Zheng state – a regional power before the rise of Imperial China

Spade coins are the oldest known Chinese metal currency and possibly the first in the world, estimated to have been first minted between 750-500 BC

 

Researchers hope this new site, located in Guanzhuang, Henan Province, can shed light on the chronology of money and how it developed

Radiocarbon dating of the Guanzhuang mint indicates it started operation sometime between 640-550 BC

While the mint at Guanzhuang was a later addition, it proved so successful that subsequently dedicated coin mints were built from scratch elsewhere in China. 

For the next 2,000 years, money would be the main output of the copper industry. 

‘Making coins was one of the most revolutionary financial innovations in human history,’ said Dr Zhao, adding that it allowed wealth to be easily traded, counted and hoarded. 

The carbon dating used by archaeologists, also referred to as radiocarbon dating or carbon-14 dating, is a method that is used to determine the age of an object.

Analysis of the finds reveals the mint was ‘highly organised’ and produced ‘spade coins’ in a standardised fashion

Spade coins are the oldest known Chinese metal currency and possibly the first in the world

 

They are estimated to have been first minted between 750-500 BC, according to researchers

The coins were used by the Zheng state and surrounding regions until they were abolished by the first emperor of China in 221 BC

Carbon-14 is a carbon isotope that is commonly used by archaeologists and historians to date ancient bones and artefacts. 

https://todayuknews.com/science/worlds-oldest-coin-mint-is-discovered-in-china/amp/

 

[odjob]

  Salute

Nel VI secolo a.C. nel nord-est della Cina vi una Zecca che emise monete vanga.

Un'equipe di archeologi cinesi ha annunciato il ritrovamento della più antica zecca del mondo .E'stata rinvenuta a Guanzhuang,  centro comunitario cinese fondato nell'800 a.C. situato nei pressi di Zheng,Stato vassallo degli Zhou.

Guanzhuang fu abbandonato nel 450 a.C.

Secondo i ricercatori, che hanno analizzato i resti della Zecca al radiocarbonio, ne hanno attribuito la datazione fra il 640 ed il 550 a.C.

Le monete vanga erano in bronzo,misuravano 14 cm di lunghezza e 6 di larghezza,  e sono stati ritrovati sia gli stampi in argilla usati per creare le monete e sia le monete che hanno proprio la forma di vanga.Per produrre queste monete gli artigiani utilizzavano due stampi esterni fra i quali vi collocavano un nucleo di argilla che avrebbe costituito la cavità del manico della vanga.

Per la maggior parte dei numismatici la più antica Zecca del mondo è quella di Sardi in Lidia che emetteva monete fra il 575 ed il 550 a.C.

Mentre le monete lidie basavano il loro valore sulla loro composizione in metalli preziosi e marcate, le monete vanga avevano un valore fiduciario.

Vi agevolo questo articolo su artribune

https://www.artribune.com/arti-visive/archeologia-arte-antica/2021/08/scoperta-a-guanzhuang-la-piu-antica-zecca/

Salutoni

odjob

 

[ARES III]

@odjob esiste già una discussione in merito

@CdC potresti sistemare la situazione? Grazie.

[odjob]

47 minuti fa, ARES III dice:

@odjob esiste già una discussione in merito

@CdC potresti sistemare la situazione? Grazie.

Chiedo venia,non l'avevo notata.

[ARES III]

3 ore fa, odjob dice:

Chiedo venia,non l'avevo notata.

Non succede niente, sai quante volte è capitato a me....

È bello sempre e comunque quando qualcuno scrive o riporta notizie storiche!

[odjob]

Stavo vedendo l'asta di Solidus del prossimo 6 febbraio 2022 dedicata a letteratura numismatica e mi sono imbattuto in questa pubblicazione

https://www.sixbid.com/en/solidus-numismatik/9179/mittelalter-und-neuzeit/7789398/monographien-mittelalter-und-neuzeit-kempgen?term&orderCol=lot_number&orderDirection=asc&priceFrom&displayMode=large&auctionSessions=&sidebarIsSticky=false

odjob

[ARES III]

24 minuti fa, odjob dice:

Stavo vedendo l'asta di Solidus del prossimo 6 febbraio 2022 dedicata a letteratura numismatica e mi sono imbattuto in questa pubblicazione

Diavolo di un tentatore....?...

[Matteo91]

@odjob e @ARES III il volume dovrebbe essere acquistabile anche dal sito del museo (22€ con spedizione). Seguo la monetazione cinese, ma non lo conoscevo. L'ho ordinato, eventualmente vi farò sapere come l'ho trovato.

[ARES III]

Grazie @Matteo91

[Cesare Augusto]

peccato ancora una volta un flop

[ARES III]

3 ore fa, Cesare Augusto dice:

peccato ancora una volta un flop

 

[Lanzio68]

Incredibile, anche se sospettavo che la moneta più antica venisse dalla Cina. Una volta il denaro era un'innovazione, ma ora possiamo vedere i progressi tecnologici come i sistemi di casa intelligente o internet 5G. Per esempio, mio figlio ha costruito un sistema domotico e ajax il riscaldamento del pavimento si adatta alla temperatura della stanza. È difficile dire cosa sarà tra 50 o 150 anni, ma il progresso non si ferma mai.

Modificato 30 Dicembre, 2021 da Lanzio68
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[CdC]

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