Numismatic and History Discussion Forums > History and Archeology
Foundation deposits: was there a public ceremony?
wolfgang336:
Most sailing yachts still have them somewhere in the hull, not to mention the Canadian Olympic hockey tradition of placing a "Loonie" (One dollar coins, loon on reverse) underneath the ice at centre ice. People are still as superstitious as we were three thousand years ago!
Evan
rjohara:
--- Quote from: silentruin on January 22, 2006, 02:07:37 pm ---http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/foundation.htm
http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/PA/IRAN/PAAI/PAAI_Misc_Finds.html
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Those are great references - many thanks.
--- Quote ---and the romans I'm sure you have your own references on as you brought it up here :)
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I don't -- what do you recommend? (Not everybody collects Roman you know. ::) ) Did Vitruvius provide a description of a foundation ceremony somewhere?
rjohara:
--- Quote from: BenB on January 22, 2006, 03:42:30 pm ---From collecting coins as a kid in England, I remember reading that more than one of the 1933 pennies (one of the famous rarities of British coin collecting) had been placed in the foundations of buildings.
I just learned something new by searching for a reference to this... the few 1933 pennies (~6-7) that were made were specifically issed by the mint in response to requests for "foundation coins" for that precise purpose!
http://www.royalmint.com/RoyalMint/web/site/Corporate/Corp_museum/txt_1933penny.asp
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Another great reference. Do you suppose there are any buildings out there that may be worth less than the penny buried under their foundations? :)
rjohara:
--- Quote from: wolfgang336 on January 22, 2006, 03:01:36 pm ---Not just temples either... Ships often had a coin inserted between the mast and the hull.
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It was an example of this that first got me thinking about the subject (see below). Was this in fact an ancient practice as well? Do we have remains of Greek or Roman ships still with coins embedded in them?
--- Quote ---News Advisory:
WHAT: Keel Laying and Ancient Coin Ceremony Mark Milestone for First of 10 New Tankers Being Built at South Philadelphia Shipyard
WHEN: Friday, Oct. 28, 11 a.m.
WHERE: Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Inc. (APSI) (formerly known as Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard), 2100 Kitty Hawk Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19112
DETAILS: Assembly begins in the dry dock under the Goliath crane on the keel section of the first of 10 product tankers being built. In keeping with ancient shipbuilding tradition, there will be a coin ceremony in which representatives from Aker and its leasing partner, Overseas Shipholding Group (NYSE: OSG) will place several lucky coins in the massive keel section as symbols of good luck and safe travels. The coins, under the enormous weight of the steel, will be affixed to the hull for the life of the vessel.
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wolfgang336:
--- Quote ---Do we have remains of Greek or Roman ships still with coins embedded in them?
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I'm sure we do, otherwise we probably wouldn't have the tradition, nor the knowledge of the practise. Unfortunately, I really have no idea where I heard about it. Coins had a large role in luck in the daily going-ons of the ancient world. Coins were placed on the eyes / in the mouths of the dead to ensure a decent afterlife.
Evan
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