Pelanor (Ancient Greek: πέλανορ, lit. 'cakes')[1] was the currency reportedly used in Sparta during the reign of the semi-mythical Lycurgus.[2] According to Plutarch's Life of Lycurgus,[3] not only did Lycurgus ban the use of gold and silver currency in favor of iron, but, just as the iron was red hot, it would be quenched in vinegar, thus rendering the metal unusable for any other purpose than money.[3][4] This reduced the incidence of robbery and theft in Sparta, reports Plutarch,[3][5] since the currency was difficult to transport and (because of its brittleness) lacked any intrinsic value as scrap metal.
Also according to Plutarch,[6] the Spartan iron coin weighed an Aeginetan mina — about 1.5 pounds avoirdupois (0.68 kg) — and had the value of four khalkoi (half an Attic obol. Hesychius's Lexicon repeats this claim.[1]
Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890) reports that "no gold, silver, or copper coins of Sparta of an earlier date than [310 BC] are extant."[1]
In the early 20th century, Kurt Regling claimed to have recovered metal ingot currency (aes rude) from Spartan archaeological sites,[7] although it was not specified to have been brittle or in any way different from aes rude found elsewhere in Greece.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c William Smith; William Wayte; G. E. Marindin, eds. (1890). "Pelanor". A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. Albemarle Street, London: John Murray. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
- ^ Humfrey Michell (1947). "The Iron Money of Sparta". Phoenix. 1: 42–44. doi:10.2307/1086107. JSTOR 1086107.
- ^ a b c Plutarch (1914). "Lycurgus". Lives. Translated by Bernadotte Perrin. Loeb Classical Library. p. 9.1. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
- ^ Stephen Hodkinson (2009). Property and Wealth in Classical Sparta. ISD LLC. ISBN 9781910589342.
- ^ David Astle (1975). The Babylonian Woe – via bibliotecapleyades.net.
- ^ Plutarch (1874). "Of Lycurgus the Lawgiver". In William W. Goodwin (ed.). Morals. Boston: Little, Brown.
- ^ Fritz Heichelheim (1957). An Ancient Economic History. Leiden: A.W. Sijthoff. p. 214. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
The earlier metal money values by weight was influenced by the usage of tool money also, and was now often exchanged in peculiar bars which were not always simply taken over from the Ancient Orient. So-called Gusskönige or Gusskuchen were popular forms in this case. According to Professor Regling they were used, for instance, in the Spartan Pelanoi (cakes) and they have actually been excavated in the older levels of Sparta.
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