Wei State spade-money at The British Museum, London
Wei State spade-money at The British Museum, London
Published 2015-12-14T11:47:09+00:00
The earliest money in China was shaped like tools, including spades and knives. These forms were possible because coins were cast in moulds. Spade money reflected the shape of real agricultural tools, with the hollow handle originally being the socket for a wooden handle. These spades were made to standard sizes for use as money.
During the Warring States period (475-221 BC), the various states used different forms of spade money. There were several weight systems which were reflected on the inscriptions on the currency.
Wei was an ancient Chinese state during the Warring States period. Its territory lay between the states of Qin and Qi and included parts of modern-day Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, and Shandong.
A old chinese legend says than an unnamed "King of Wei" is featured in one of the canonical tales of homosexual love in China. The king had a favorite named Lord Long Yang, with whom he enjoyed fishing. One day, Long began to weep. When questioned, Long said he saw his own future in how he had treated a fish. Happy to have the catch at first, Long Yang had wanted to throw it back when he caught a better fish. He wept, "I am also a previously-caught fish! I will also be thrown back!" To show his fidelity to Long Yang, the king declared that, "Anyone who dares to speak of other beauties will be executed along with his entire family".
(Credit; Wikipedia, British Museum)
This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.
Scanned : Photogrammetry (Processed using Agisoft PhotoScan)
Printed in FormFutura EasyFil White @ 215, heated bed @ 65, Med quality, 15% infill, standard support and raft settings.
Date published | 14/12/2015 |
Time to do | 160 - 200 minutes |
Material Quantity | 32g |
Dimensions | x76mm y14mm z129mm |
Technology | FDM |
Title | Wei State spade-money |
Date | null |
Dimension | Length: 67 millimetres Width: 44 millimetres Weight: 25.74 grammes |
Accession | 1983,0526.1 |
Period | Warring States period |
Medium | bronze |
Record | http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1670381&partId=1&searchText=Wei+State+spade-money&page=1 |
Place | British Museum |