Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T04:58:14.861Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

2 - KEYNES AND ANCIENT CURRENCIES

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 November 2012

Get access

Summary

On several occasions between 1920 and 1926, Keynes worked at a history of ancient currencies. In his correspondence with Lydia in 1924 and 1925–6, he reported that bursts of work on the subject kept him from working on his Treatise on Money.

Although subsequent research has meant that many of the details of Keynes's story require revision, the fragments which emerged from his research are of sufficient interest in themselves to merit publication, for they show Keynes turning his mind in an unexpected direction.

From Keynes's efforts over the period, the first surviving fragment dates from 1920.

NOTE ON THE MONETARY REFORM OF SOLON

According to Professor Gardner's interpretation of the authorities, Androtion makes out Solon's reform to consist in a change from the Aeginetan drachma (proportion 73 to 100), whereas according to Aristotle, Solon's change was from the Aeginetan drachma to the Euboic drachma (proportion 70 to 100). Professor Gardner thinks that the account of Aristotle is the correct one. He believes, therefore, that Solon changed the standard from the Aeginetan to the Euboic and that the change from the Euboic to the Attic was effected by Peisistratus fifty years later. I have not seen any direct evidence of the supposed further change of standard under Peisistratus.

I suggest that Professor Gardner has misunderstood Aristotle's statement and that there is in substance no contradiction between the statement of Androtion and that of Aristotle.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Royal Economic Society
Print publication year: 1978

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×