Ancient Roman coins found in ruined Japanese castle

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Ancient Roman coins found in ruined Japanese castle
By Emiko Jozuka, CNN
Updated 4:00 AM ET, Tue September 27, 2016
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/luxury/ancient-roman-coins-japan/index.html

(CNN)When archeologist Hiroyuki Miyagi heard that a bunch of ancient Roman and Ottoman coins had been unearthed from the ruins of an old castle in Okinawa, he initially thought it was a hoax.

"I couldn't believe they'd found coins from the Roman empire in Kasturen castle," Miyagi, who works at Okinawa International University, told CNN.
"I thought that they were replicas that had been dropped there by tourists."...
Photos at link: http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/luxury/ancient-roman-coins-japan/index.html

[Smokin Joe]

It just goes to show that silver and gold remain money, even after the governments which coined it are gone. Likely, the coins traveled in trade, retaining their intrinsic value.

[sneakypete]

@Kasturen castle

I don't remember even hearing about Kasturen castle. I spent a couple of years living on Okinawa in the mid-60's and knew about Shuri Castle. I even slipped past the guards and went exploring in the caverns under the castle. Since I was a little drunk and had forgotten to even bring a flashlight,I had to give it up when I got so far underground I could hear the ocean splashing at the bottom of the staircase I was walking on. Dark as a politicians heart,and I was making my way by keeping one hand on the wall and taking care to not stumble of debris on the steps.

Not one of my brighter moments.

As for the coins,they could have been brought to Asia by Marco Polo or any other Asia adventurer in history,and then given as gifts,swapped,or sold to whoever brought them to Okinawa.

[Gefn]

It just goes to show that silver and gold remain money, even after the governments which coined it are gone. Likely, the coins traveled in trade, retaining their intrinsic value.

History is amazing. I wonder what was bought with those coins. Clothing, or perhaps (this is a stretch ) sushi?

[Smokin Joe]

History is amazing. I wonder what was bought with those coins. Clothing, or perhaps (this is a stretch ) sushi?

If they could only talk...

[sneakypete]

History is amazing. I wonder what was bought with those coins. Clothing, or perhaps (this is a stretch ) sushi?

@Freya

Nobody had to bring raw fish to an island nation where fish was one of the major food staples. With no way to build a fire at sea,raw fish was a part of their diets.

[Idaho_Cowboy]

@Freya

Nobody had to bring raw fish to an island nation where fish was one of the major food staples. With no way to build a fire at sea,raw fish was a part of their diets.

Well, you could try but your sampan would be liable to go up like a cheap hibachi lit with too much lighter fluid. 

[sneakypete]

Well, you could try but your sampan would be liable to go up like a cheap hibachi lit with too much lighter fluid.

@Idaho_Cowboy

By far the most common fishing vessel I saw in 4+ years living in Asia were the 2 man fishing boats powered by a paddle.  They had really low sides and were a lot like a dugout canoe. I did see a bunch of the circular boats,but was always under the impression (probably wrong) they were mainly used for traveling from one bank to the other or from the shore to a bigger boat.

Either way,they were "day boats" used to fish during the day or to travel to the market and come back that day. The Sampans were and are serious ocean-going vessels even if they aren't that big. In fact,off the top of my head I can't think of a single "unique to Asia" device I ever saw while there that matched what the Europeans were doing. Asians just aren't very creative people because their cultures punish those who stand out instead of following the crowd.

[Idaho_Cowboy]

@Idaho_Cowboy

By far the most common fishing vessel I saw in 4+ years living in Asia were the 2 man fishing boats powered by a paddle.  They had really low sides and were a lot like a dugout canoe. I did see a bunch of the circular boats,but was always under the impression (probably wrong) they were mainly used for traveling from one bank to the other or from the shore to a bigger boat.

Either way,they were "day boats" used to fish during the day or to travel to the market and come back that day. The Sampans were and are serious ocean-going vessels even if they aren't that big. In fact,off the top of my head I can't think of a single "unique to Asia" device I ever saw while there that matched what the Europeans were doing. Asians just aren't very creative people because their cultures punish those who stand out instead of following the crowd.

Interesting. Sounds like of what you see in the James Bond movie (I forget which one off the top of my head) with the fishing boats. I would have assumed that industrialization would have overtaken such a simple way of doing things. 

[sneakypete]

Interesting. Sounds like of what you see in the James Bond movie (I forget which one off the top of my head) with the fishing boats. I would have assumed that industrialization would have overtaken such a simple way of doing things.

@Idaho_Cowboy

It probably has in most places there by now. I haven't lived in or been to Asia in 4 decades. A lot of things can happen in 40+ years.

I suspect the majority of the small farmers and others in rural areas still use the centuries old tried and true technology,though. After all,it's so cheap it might as well be free.

[LateForLunch]

Money is a fascinating topic. Since we are on it, does anyone know when and how the first money was created? The only reason I do, is that someone asked me that question once and I researched it.

Originally it arose because barter societies needed a physical symbol of real wealth (cattle, horses, goats, chickens) in order to trade efficiently. When the first communities arose and the members traded goods, they had to bring them all to market and physically exchange them there. Eventually, they realized that they didn't actually have to take a hundred cattle to the market if they could instead bring a symbolic object that represented the cattle. Then they could trade them for either real objects or for symbolic objects brought by other traders for their goods.

The need for documentation of the validity of the symbols (originally clay pellets with the family or clan name pressed into them and some sort of official seal) brought more and more resilient and difficult-to-counterfeit money until they finally got to the point where they monetized the entire local economy of a city-state and minted official coinage backed up by the rulers of the realm.

Once the printing press was perfected, they were finally able to move away from coins and moved to bills.

Today we don't even need paper, but have money that doesn't even have physical substance, but exists only as electronic ghosts in computer networks ( including Bitcoins).

It's ironic that even in the latest iteration of money, it can still be stolen apparently. I read recently that someone succeeded in stealing a massive amount of Bitcoin. heh

[Sanguine]

Those Roamens really got around.