Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Emoji d'or, troll d'or
Latest item at KSHS is wild, and their writer seems to have been impressed by the wildness.
How did a French coin weight from the late 1700s come to be deposited at a late 19th- early 20th-century archeological site in Smith County? One side of the coin weight depicts the coin it represents, a French Louis D'or from 1785 to 1792. The reverse of the coin weight depicts a hand of Antwerp, indicating it was used in Antwerp, Belgium, markets. Understanding how and when artifacts came to be deposited at a site and what an artifact's association is with other artifacts at a site are questions archeologists ask in order learn how people are interacting with their landscapes. In the case of this small French coin weight, the answer is still being sought.In modern terms the coin weight would be described as UI/UX with automatic localization. There's no wording, just the image of the coin on one side and the hand (fingers up, palm forward) on the other. Anyone involved in commerce would know what it meant, where it was used, and what it weighed. Hand of Antwerp? Huh? Not explained by KSHS, but it's even wilder:
The most wonderful cities in the world are founded upon a myth, and Antwerp is no exception. Legend has it that, to cross the Scheldt River, you first had to pay a toll to a fearsome giant, named Druon Antigoon. Whenever sailors on the Scheldt river refused to pay the toll to the giant, he punished them by cutting off their hand. A Roman soldier named Silvius Brabo slayed the giant, cut off its hand, and tossed it into the Scheldt River. Given that the Dutch for "hand thrown" is "hand werpen", the city’s name was born. So, the "hand" has become the symbol of Antwerp and it is looked upon like an official shield of Antwerp. There are excellent cookies and different types of chocolates in the shape of a hand.Druon Antigoon. Wonderful name for a giant troll. Even better, the coin weight looks just like a chocolate cookie. (Unfortunately it's a square cookie, so I can't use d'Oreo in the title.)
Labels: Metrology, Patient things
¶ 4:48 PM
