Log in or Sign up
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
King Brut and Troy Weight
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="Nap, post: 3190845, member: 73099"]So a couple of things:</p><p><br /></p><p>The origin of the name "Troy" ounce is obscure. I have heard that it might be from Troyes, France. But alternates are possible. As you mentioned, Monmouth's "History of the Kings of Britain", published in the 12th c. was a popular read, and Edward III was very interested in Arthurian legend and had his own "round table" constructed if I recall. Could the name Troy ounce have been applied to an old weight standard that differed from the French or Italian? Perhaps.</p><p><br /></p><p>But the notion that a weight standard dates back to the mythical founding of England stretches believability. It should be recalled that King Brutus and the story of Trojan settlers of Britain is a legend, not a history. As they continue to be to this day (look at all the superhero movies), origin stories were popular in medieval times. Recall that the Aeneid was an origin story as well written nearly 1000 years after the Iliad. Even Homer's Iliad is an origin story, with gods making up the main characters. It's a good story, without a doubt, but trying to find a factual basis for a mythical story is problematic.</p><p><br /></p><p>Similarly problematic is the fact that weight standards changed considerably during Roman, Saxon, and Norman times. Unlike other aspects of Anglo-Saxon life, which we only wish were recorded for posterity at all, documents involving weights and monetary policy do survive in written records. Ine of Wessex, Offa of Mercia, Eadgar of Wessex, and even Aethelred the Unready left there mark on weight and monetary policy. And while the texts can be confusing the gist is essentially "I'm king and I am setting the weight/value of this to so many of these". It's good to be the king. Also recall the obsessiveness of the Domesday book (late 11th c). If there was a Troy standard in use, William would've known about it and weighed every last grain of wheat using it. So I cannot accept the notion of a Trojan origin for a weight standard.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the flip side, England has a history of keeping old things. Heck the penny was called 1d, the 'd' for "denarius" up until fairly recently. The names penny and shilling are probably 1500 years old, and the silver penny standard started by Offa in the 700s survived with only small changes to the modern era.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Nap, post: 3190845, member: 73099"]So a couple of things: The origin of the name "Troy" ounce is obscure. I have heard that it might be from Troyes, France. But alternates are possible. As you mentioned, Monmouth's "History of the Kings of Britain", published in the 12th c. was a popular read, and Edward III was very interested in Arthurian legend and had his own "round table" constructed if I recall. Could the name Troy ounce have been applied to an old weight standard that differed from the French or Italian? Perhaps. But the notion that a weight standard dates back to the mythical founding of England stretches believability. It should be recalled that King Brutus and the story of Trojan settlers of Britain is a legend, not a history. As they continue to be to this day (look at all the superhero movies), origin stories were popular in medieval times. Recall that the Aeneid was an origin story as well written nearly 1000 years after the Iliad. Even Homer's Iliad is an origin story, with gods making up the main characters. It's a good story, without a doubt, but trying to find a factual basis for a mythical story is problematic. Similarly problematic is the fact that weight standards changed considerably during Roman, Saxon, and Norman times. Unlike other aspects of Anglo-Saxon life, which we only wish were recorded for posterity at all, documents involving weights and monetary policy do survive in written records. Ine of Wessex, Offa of Mercia, Eadgar of Wessex, and even Aethelred the Unready left there mark on weight and monetary policy. And while the texts can be confusing the gist is essentially "I'm king and I am setting the weight/value of this to so many of these". It's good to be the king. Also recall the obsessiveness of the Domesday book (late 11th c). If there was a Troy standard in use, William would've known about it and weighed every last grain of wheat using it. So I cannot accept the notion of a Trojan origin for a weight standard. On the flip side, England has a history of keeping old things. Heck the penny was called 1d, the 'd' for "denarius" up until fairly recently. The names penny and shilling are probably 1500 years old, and the silver penny standard started by Offa in the 700s survived with only small changes to the modern era.[/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
King Brut and Troy Weight
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Competitions
Competitions
Quick Links
Competition Index
Rules, Terms & Conditions
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Showcase
Showcase
Quick Links
Search Items
Most Active Members
New Items
Directory
Directory
Quick Links
Directory Home
New Listings
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Sponsors
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...