OT: A Question for Economists, Archaeologists and Historians. A plea for help.

[Brennus]

Dear all,
Hope those of you in the Northern Hemisphere are having a lovely summer and those of you in the southern are likewise having a pleasant winter.

I require some help. Allow me to explain the background to my problem. I am finising my dissertation which examines the evidence for a migration of Belgae tribes to Britain in the Late Iron Age. One aspect of this dissertation involves examining the Gallo-Belgic coinage found in Late Iron Age Britain and arguing that it's introduction is the result of a Belgic invasion. The argument is that since the Late Brone Age gold was not used in Britain, thus gold coinage would have no intrinsic value, plus the Britons in the area of supposed Belgic invasion were not using coinage, thus they would have no need to incorporate coinage into their economic systems. Instead, I argue, the use of gold and coinage must have been imposed on them, to some extent, by new arrivals.

However in order to sure up this theory I need an example(s) of a similar situation where a non-monetary using society has had coinage imposed upon them by an outside force. I was hoping to use the example of Viking settlement in Ireland but after research this is no longer valid.

Can anyone suggest examples (please note I will need references to such examples), ideally examples as close to c.150-50 BC as possible.

Thank you for any suggestions you can give.

P.S. Baloon for the best example!

[Cute Wolf]

I didn't have such example, but from purely economic point of views, the gold (and to some degree silver and copper) itself is universal monetary value in all civilizations. While some civilizations may lack precious metals in their early part of development, once they interact with outside civilizations, the "gold" will enter their economic system as "curious exotic and rare things" which at first, maybe accquired as curious device. Of course, especially in ancient times, nobility is pretty much about show off, and some that accquire that rare gold got some kind of respect. In turns, when the original owner of the "gold" becomes bored, he sold his gold with a lot of things because of the rarity (economic law about supply and distribution), in turns, another will start to think that gold is highly valuable resource, and start to sought more of it...

[Burebista]

As far as i know , Sparta is an example of a state that rejected gold and used coins made of worthless metal. Maybe that opens some doors. Ofc they still used it , but only in commercial relations with other states ,not between themselves.

[Finn MacCumhail]

So you are looking for British coins of 150-50 BC?

that might help

http://aplaisancewithmossflower.blogspot.com/2009/04/celtic-coins.html

http://www.kernunnos.com/dlt/suessiones.html

Also Makedon gold coins were widespread in Britain

[Brennus]

As far as i know , Sparta is an example of a state that rejected gold and used coins made of worthless metal. Maybe that opens some doors. Ofc they still used it , but only in commercial relations with other states ,not between themselves.

Thanks for the suggestion Burebista but I am looking for a society which had money imposed upon it by an outside force.


So you are looking for British coins of 150-50 BC?

that might help

http://aplaisancewithmossflower.blogspot.com/2009/04/celtic-coins.html

http://www.kernunnos.com/dlt/suessiones.html

Also Makedon gold coins were widespread in Britain

Thanks for the suggestions Finn but I have more than enough British coins to shake a stick at, I just need an example of a society which did not operate a monetary based economy and had coinage imposed upon it.

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

This is difficult because of the coercion factor. Barbaric societies that begin trading with more civilised ones usually adopt coins voluntarily, to ease trade with the foreign merchants.

So for an example of being forced to go from barter to coinage, you'd need a barbaric society that was conquered and permanently occupied by a more civilised opponent before much trade took place between them. Which is rare. Conquest usually follows trade, rather than preceding it.

The only examples I can think of are the Australian Aborigines forced to adopt British coinage, or Pacific island tribal cultures forced to by colonisers. The Red Indians probably don't qualify.

[Brennus]

This is difficult because of the coercion factor. Barbaric societies that begin trading with more civilised ones usually adopt coins voluntarily, to ease trade with the foreign merchants.

So for an example of being forced to go from barter to coinage, you'd need a barbaric society that was conquered and permanently occupied by a more civilised opponent before much trade took place between them. Which is rare. Conquest usually follows trade, rather than preceding it.

The only examples I can think of are the Australian Aborigines forced to adopt British coinage, or Pacific island tribal cultures forced to by colonisers. The Red Indians probably don't qualify.

I am glad your not marking my thesis lol. Nice info.

[abou]

If you do some research into Iran and the Successors you might have some luck. In many of those regions a barter system was used, but Alexander and others afterward worked to establish a monetary system. Barter still existed, of course, but there was a big push to getting Persian metals melted and turned into coins. Unfortunately, I can't for the life of me remember the book. If I find it, I'll let you know, but that could give you a direction to start.

[paullus]

Shoot, they barely used coinage in Egypt, and getting them to do so was like pulling teeth for the Ptolemies. I'd be inclined, by the way, to see the introduction of coinage as tied to trade before tying it to invasion. The bars they were using in southern England were so much bigger than comparable values in coinage, and wouldn't have been looked upon happily by continental traders. I don't say that to disagree with you about the Belgae invasion, just that I figure the coins would be introduced sporadically through trade. Now, if you see an elimination of bars and abundance of coinage--a sharp shift, ya know?--I'd say that's a pretty meaningful piece of evidence for invasion.