104 



Coin and Currency in [No. 9, new series. 



duplication of the principal organs of the human frame, naturally 

 gives importance to the number two. These elements very proba- 

 bly entered into the system of weights of all nations in the earliest 

 stages of civilisation, and, as I have remarked before, the original 

 coins were only weights. Depreciation in coinage might after- 

 wards alter the numerical relations between the denominations, 

 and these disturbances might or might not extend to the weights 

 with which the coins were originally synonymous. If they did so 

 extend, this would be one cause of the impossibility of now find- 

 ing traces of the original basal numbers in the divisions that have 

 come down to us. Another element of change might be the rela- 

 tive value of gold and silver ; this ratio might not be expressed 

 by any of the numbers I have alluded to, and yet might in some 

 way enter into the system of monetary division. Other circum- 

 stances might be brought forward to account for the occasional 

 absence of any apparent law of division in ancient or modern sys- 

 tems of currency, I shall just state briefly in illustration of these 

 remarks, some facts connected with Hebrew, Greek and Roman 

 systems of monetary division. 



Amongst the Hebrews for obvious reasons, twelve was a leading 

 number.* Six, or the multiple of six and twelve, appears in the 

 seventy-two selected for the translation of the Hebrew Scriptures 

 into Greek, commonly, for shortness, called " the LXX." Both 

 these numbers, 12 and 72 were retained in the foundation of the 

 Christian Church. A glance at the Table of Jewish weights (and 

 coins) will show the prevalence of the national number combined 

 with ten and Jive. 



Gerah. 



10 



Bekah. 









20 



2 



Shekel. 







1,200 



120 



60 



Maneh. 





60,000 



6,000 



3,000 



50 



Talent. 



I am not aware of these Hebrew weights having undergone any 



* Seven also was a number of great mystical sacredness, but it does 

 not seem to have entered into their system of weights. 



