Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

NUMM US. NUMMUS. 809
olov), from 4Ydcos, because it was a medium of ex- which therefore have formed, either separately or
change established by custom and law, current coin in combination with each other, the materials of
(Demosth. adv. Timocr. p. 805; Aristoph. Nub. nearly every system of money which has ever ex246; Aristot. Eth. v. 8). These last termls, nznm- isted. The history of their use by the Greeks
muzs and rnumisma, were transferred into the Latin and Romans will be noticed presently; but it is
language through the Greeks of Sicily and southern necessary first to say a few words respecting some
Italy, who applied the word vo'os (or, as it is other substances, which were anciently employed
also written, vOD/sicOS), not only to money in general, for money.
but specifically to the chief silver coin of their Iron was used by the Lacedaemonians and Bysystem; and thus, in Latin, the word is used both zantines, probably on account of the abundance of
in the specific sense, as equivalent to sestertius the metal in Laconia and on the shores of the
[SESTERTIUS], and in the generic meaning of any Euxine. (Pollux vii. 106; besides numerous other
sort of money. (Varro, L.L. v. 37. ~ 173, ed. testimonies.) Aristotle, who in the passage alI iller; Pollux, ix. 79; Miller, Etrushk. vol. i. ready quoted, mentions iron and silver as examples
p. 315; Bhickh, Mets'ol. Untersuch. p. 310; Eckhel, of the materials of money, tells us elsewhere (Oecon.
Proleqosn. General. c. 1; and the Greek and Latin ii. 2) that the people of Clazomenae had iron
Lexicons.) Some writers give the ridiculous deri- money; and there are some obscure testimonies
vation of um22us from NAunma, who, they say, first respecting the use of iron money in the earliest
coined money: here the process has been, first, to age of Rome (Suid. s. v.'Ao'dpma). Not a specifancy the connection of the words, and then to men of iron money is now extant, a fact easily acinvent the fact to account for it. (Sulid. s. v.'As- counted for by the liability of the metal to rust.
cadpa; Isid. Orig. xvi. 17.) The word msoeneta, (Eckhel, Proleg. 6.)
from which, through the French, we get our word Tin was coined by Dionysius at Syracuse
Money, was a surname of Juno, in whose temple (Aristot. Oecon. ii. 2; Pollux, ix. 79); but this
the standards of weight, measure, and money were is the only notice of such money, except a law in
preserved: the epithet itself seems to correspond the Digest, which refers merely to spurious coins.
in meaning and derivation (from m2neo) to the (48. tit. 10.) No specimens are extant. (See
name of the Greek deity Mvrlmo-cvv. [MONETA.] further, Ecklhel, 1. c.)
II. Origin of l[on2ey.- Aristotle (Polit. i. 3) Leaden money is not unnfrequently mentioned by
defines PJld'ylae as roTLXeE7oV eal 7rEpas TrAS aA- the poets, and not a few coins or medals of it are?aeys, and traces its invention to the early felt preserved; but it is doubtfutl whether they were
necessity of a common medium of exchange, to true money. (Eckhel, I.e.)
obviate the inconveniences of barter. At first, he Ieathelr; wrood, and shells are also referred to as
tells us, it consisted of masses of metal and other materials of money; but such monies could only
convenient substance, determined by size and have been tokens, not true coin. Leather money
weight, and, lastly, with marlks stamped upon is said to have been used by the Carthaginians,
them, to save the trouble of always weighing them. Spartans, and Romans. (Eckhel, 1. c.)
It is unnecessary to quote other authorities in con- IV. Distinctions betsween ancient Money and
firmation of this statement. (Eckhel, Proleg. c. 2.).tMedals. -It is no longer necessary to examine
The things which are essential to money arthe the paradoxical assertion of Sebastian Erizzo, that
s7material and the stani —the former giving it the all the ancient coins which have come down to us
reality of value, the latter its assurance. In the are mere medals, and were never current money.
early state of commerce, described in the IIo- (See Eckhel, Proleg. c. 5.) But tle questionis very
meric poems and other ancient works, when the important, whether any among them were mere
transfer of commodities was effected by means of medals, and if so, how they are to be distinguished
quantities of unstamped gold, silver, or copper, from the coins which were used as money. This
which were determined by weight, money, pro- question is fully discussed by Eckhel (I. c.), who
perly speaking, did not exist. On the other hand, lays down the following as the chief criteria for
at mere stamp, on a material of little intrinsic value, distinguishing between them.
does not make it money, but a mere token of When we find a cbontinuoiis'-series of coins,
credit, which is sometimes loosely and inaccu- having the same, or nearly the same weight, stamp,
rately called money. This sort of so-called money and style of workmanship (allowing for the decline
was sometimes, though rarely, employed by the or improvement of the art); or when we find a miulancients, and that chiefly by the barbarous nations; titude of specimens of the same coins, and that too
the civilised states preferred the subterfuge of de- in different places; when the stamp upon a coin
basing their coinage to any attempt to introduce expresses its weight or its denomination; in these
the element of credit avowedly into their monetary cases there can be no doubt that the coins,
system. They had nothing like our paper money if genuine, were real money. These tests are
or bills of exchange. answered by the general series of Roman copper,
III. Macterials of' ancient 2Money.- The con- silver, and gold coins; by most of those of the
ditions which any material used for money must Greek states; by the gold and silver coins of
of necessity answer are obviously the following: Philip, Alexander, and his successors; and by the
— it must exist in sufficient abundance; it must cistoph/ori of proconsular Asia. On the other hand,
be of intrinsic, that is, universally acknowledged those appear to be medals, and not coins, which
value, and, as nearly as possible, of uniform value; very much exceed in size the ordinary coins, such
it must be capable of resisting wear and corrosion; as the celebrated and beautiful gold medals of
it must be portable, easily divisible, and not diffi- Lysimachus, many gold medals of the Roman
cult to work into those sizes and to mark with Empire, and some silver medals which occur only
those stamps, which determine and certify its under the later emperors. The question of the
quantity and quality. These conditions are best copper or bronze medals is more difficult to decide
fulfilled by the metals golcd, silver, and copper, by this test, on account of the large size of the