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 Replies: 10 / Views: 1,436 |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
Yes, an egyptian coin found in cornwall. No, I doubt it got there with an ancient egyptian merchant - I have a better theory. This was found in Boscastle, a very pictureque little place (one I've been to). It was dredged up from the harbour after major flooding in 2004 which swept cars, buildings and even the bridge into the harbour. My personal theory is that a coin collector owned this but had it swept away in the floods. Ill see if I can find a collector in the area, poke about a bit and if I can find an owner ill send it back (just a decade after it washed away...)   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2480 Posts |
That would be pretty darn cool if your theory is correct and if you find the former owner.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4212 Posts |
Ben, not necessarily so. The ancients you guys in the UK run across, almost by accident, leads me to believe it may be a common ground score.
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Pillar of the Community
 United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
Not so here, this seems to be a Ptolemy era coin, which is 200BC. At this point I doubt the common celt knew of money in such a sense and trade with egypt would be at the best, unlikely, at worst, non existant. Trade with Rome wasnt existant at this point. And id be inclined to believe that they would pay in metal or goods - not this, which I'm told is bronze.
Also...boscastle is on the northern shore of the peninsula (not the place to land a ship) and is a more modernly founded town (probably first settled around the time of the norman invasions). When the harbour was constructed, anything there would be displaced and then the new layer would be silt. Unless the flood exposed a new site (and undermined the harbour) then it cant have been left there in ancient times.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3253 Posts |
It may be telling that this is a marine find. I'm reminded of the story of a harbor dredging in the southern US that turned up an unequivocally genuine Neanderthal stone tool. The consensus on that find was that ballast from European trade ships was frequently dumped on arrival in America, to be replaced with cargo for the return voyage. The tool was simply scooped up with other ballast stones at a ship's port of departure in Europe. Egypt was certainly a major destination for cargo from the British Empire. Maybe this coin came up in the soil excavated in the building of the Suez Canal!
Edited by philadelphian
09/21/2013 11:05 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4973 Posts |
interesting coin and hypptheses~
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3446 Posts |
Items exchanged in trade can find themselves far from home Ben. Trade need not be direct but after a hundred years (or so) a coin used over and over again can work its way across a continent. I remember once reading about some Egyptian artifacts which were made of lapis lazuli. Modern science can determine where the stone originated. With 99.99 percent accuracy the stone was found to be Afghani. These were 'early' Egyptian. Even circa 2000BC trade between distant places took place. No doubt with the aid of a few 'middle men' taking a cut along the way !
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
946 Posts |
Quote:
Modern science can determine where the stone originated. With 99.99 percent accuracy the stone was found to be Afghani I think Afghanistan is the only source for Lapis Lazuli. I think Ben's first hypothesis on it being lost in the 2004 Flood is more likely. Personally, if I see a coin listed as a "Metal detecting find" with no Find provenance to back it up, it is Baloney as far as I am concerned.  I saw a Jewish Prutah listed as such, recently on ebay. In the U.K.? With Find provenance? Yeah right. But "Metal Detector Find" is a popular Sucker Tag on ebay. |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
This wasnt advertised as a metal detecting find - it was a pleasant surprise when I found out it was dragged from the ground.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
946 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3446 Posts |
Afghanistan is famous for the high quality lapis mined since the Bronze Age. But Russian sources exist and I once bought a beautiful lapis 'Easter Island' type figure at a yard sale . It is engraved Made in Chile ...... another source of high grade lapis
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Replies: 10 / Views: 1,436 |
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Posted 09/21/2013 10:07 am
