Numismatic and History Discussion Forums > History and Archeology
Foundation deposits: was there a public ceremony?
Manzikert:
Hi
With reference to the 1933 pennies, two of them were put under foundation stones laid by George V in Leeds.
In September 1970, the Church of St. Cross at Middleton near Leeds was damaged by thieves who managed to remove and steal the 1933 penny buried under its cornerstone with a pickaxe. As a precaution, the other church removed its coin, and sold it by auction at Sotheby's on the 24th November 1972.
Best wishes
Alan
Bill Perry:
I do not believe you can find an ancient reference - unless some secret of the stone masons can be found :) As I'm sure its in building traditions for thousands of years. For sure though you can see where archeology experts go looking for them as soon as they start an excavation - look in this article of an egyptian fort and search for the word foundation ;)
http://www.deltasinai.com/sepe-10.htm
To a lesser degree you can see that escavating roman buildings they still expect to find them:
http://www.archaeology.org/interactive/sagalassos/field04/domestic8.html
and of course modern day like the building of queen elizabeth II - if its built there is a tradition (though I think cars got away from that sort of thing :) But ships and buildings still have them!):
http://www.nqsouthern.com/digitalpublication/digitalpublications/index.cfm?dpid=89§ion_id=547&article_id=1546
And before you ask - I'm an expert on nothing - I'm just good with computer searches :) And learn what I post at the same time - so its very educational - so I thank YOU!
Ecgþeow:
I don't know if this is true, but I remember hearing that one ancient society would bury live people under the cornerstones of temples. It might have been the Hawaiians that buried them under the luakini heiaus (human-sacrifice temples dedicated to the god of war). Maybe it was another Polynesian group. But it interesting that the same idea would show in completely unrelated cultures (one more extreme than the other, but the same idea of sacrifice nevertheless).
*Alex:
Were coins not also nailed to the masts of ships "for luck". This must account for some of those ancients which are found with holes in them.
Alex.
Robert_Brenchley:
I imagine the story in 'Moby Dick' about Captain Ahab nailing the coin to the mast and promising it to the man who sights the White Whale has some basis in fact. Melville had sailed on a whaler, and tends to get things right.
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