Another query in this very strange book.
Discussing weights and measures, Panteo refers to something that might be a coin or a unit of measurement that he calls the Fionus:
'Circumspecti negotiatores in Fionis, non superficiem, sed clausam substantiam inquirunt.'
'Circumspect traders in Fioni enquire not into the surface but the concealed substance.'
'Rubus item 20 Marcarum, hoc signo exprimitur ad Fionos autem 68 et quod 1 Fioni pro qualibet Marca in Auro.'
'Similarly a rubus is 20 marcae. With this sign is indicated however 68 fioni, 1 fionus being equivalent to any 1 gold marca.'
One of the woodcuts is entitled 'Aequo fionos' ('I press out the fioni') and shows a cutting-press cutting out what seem to be coins, see illustration bottom-right here:
http://www.newcomen.com/excerpts/metallurgy/index.htm
The only reference I can find to this on the Internet is in Sherwood Taylor's lecture on the Voarchadumia delivered to the Newcomen Society. He says he couldn't find out anything about it and took it to mean the same as Florin.
Is there a numismatist in the house?
PaulLast edited on Wed Nov 25th, 2009 04:49 pm by Paul Ferguson
|
