ancient greece mediterranean ruler

Chapter 246 Dionia Silver Coin and Mathematics Institute
The currency circulating in Mediterranean trade in this era was gold and silver. The Persians mainly used gold coins, while the Greek city-states did not have so many gold mines, so they mainly used silver coins.Since each city-state has the power to mint its own silver coins, the currency market in the entire Mediterranean is quite chaotic. The weight of coins issued by different city-states and the purity of silver are not uniform, which brings difficulties to trade, so exchanges come into being. And born.

When it came to exchange, Tritodemus complained in his heart: In Greek city-states, the exchange business was mainly undertaken by banks. The more prosperous a city-state was in trade, the more developed the banking industry was. But in Dionis Although there are many banks in various cities in Asia, they all belong to one person - Christia, the wife of Davos, the governor of Dionia.Of course, this is not the result of any administrative intervention used by Davos, but the average loan return on the main business loans of Christoya Bank since its establishment was far lower than the 15.00% interest rate of the Greek city-state at that time - —That is 5.00%.

Although the Cristoia Bank broke the tacit understanding of the banking industry in the Greek city-states, at that time Amendolara and Turiyi were waiting for new ones, and no rich businessman came out to obstruct them. Instead, because of its low-interest loans, countless families and small workshops were supported and got out of the initial difficulties, thus winning the reputation of Christoya Bank.Today's trade in Dionia is no longer comparable to that of the past. Some businessmen have started to open banks and are forced to provide low-interest loans within the alliance. However, Christoya Bank has made its brand popular in Dionia. It is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people of Onia, and people trust and appreciate it. Therefore, there are often long queues at the door of Kristoya Bank, while there are only a few customers in other banks.Normal competition is not possible, and it is even more impossible to use other means. Don't forget that the person standing behind Christoya Bank is Davos, the only lifelong governor of Dionia.So since there is no money to be made by running a bank there, businessmen have no choice but to invest in other industries. With the expansion of the Dionia Alliance, there are many profitable industries and competition has become fierce, but there is always only one bank.

Tritodemus looked at the man in front of him. He was already the most powerful person in Dionia at a young age, and he also had a smart and beautiful wife who earned him a lot of wealth. It was really enviable!

Davos didn't notice Tritodemus' strange gaze. He focused all his attention on the coins. He picked up two more silver coins and looked at them carefully. They were almost the same. He asked again with concern. : "What do you think of the style and pattern of this Dionysian silver coin compared with the Athenian silver coin?"

Athens' "Owl" not only has high purity of silver, but also has exquisite patterns. Even after Athens was defeated and the Delian League was disbanded, it could no longer force other city-states to use Laurian silver coins, but merchants and people in various Greek city-states still used them voluntarily and voluntarily. Many businessmen even went to Athens to exchange such coins and put them in their homes as art collections.Therefore, Athens' Laurian silver coins were the most widely circulated and most used hard currency in the Greek city-states.

"I and other people on the coinage committee have repeatedly compared the Laurian silver coins minted in more than a dozen different years. Everyone agrees that our Dionysian coins are no less than it in terms of purity and engraving! And -" Trito Deimos picked up the silver coin, rubbed the raised ring on its edge, and said excitedly: "The suggestion you gave me at the beginning, Lord Archon, was great. We did not use the traditional method to make complex and rough serrations." Instead of having a pattern, simple edging is used, which not only improves efficiency, but is also less prone to wear and tear, and everyone thinks it looks as thick and elegant as the pillars of a temple! I believe that after the Dionia silver coin is issued, it will soon It will be loved by the people!" Terry Todemus said excitedly.

Davos looked calm. The previous design was a suggestion he made based on the characteristics of ancient Chinese coins. There was nothing to be proud of. He was more concerned about whether the Dionia coins could quickly circulate and become the main use of the southern Italian city-states. Currency, this is not only to expand the influence of Dionia, but also to dominate the currency issuance power of Greater Greece and control the economic and trade of the South Italian city-states.

Just like Athens, even in the late Peloponnesian War, when trade shrank, financial difficulties, and the silver ore produced by the Laurian silver mines decreased, the purity of the "owl" was not reduced. The Athenians' insistence on the city-state's currency credit gained return.Just a few years after the end of the war, the number of foreign merchants visiting the port of Erekhovs increased year by year, and now Athenian trade has gradually returned to its former prosperity.

"Lord Tritodemus, your coinage committee has put in a lot of effort for this small silver coin in the past few months. Thank you for your hard work! I believe that when it is successfully issued and the people of Magna Graecia accept it, the sage will Your name will definitely be left in the temple!" Hearing Davos's words of praise, Tritodemus suddenly became excited.As the Temple of Hades is about to be completed, some special architectural structures in the temple are also spread among the people. For example, there are two side halls in the temple, one is called the Hall of Valor, which is dedicated to the warriors who sacrificed their lives to guard the safety of the alliance. The other is called the Temple of the Sage. The names of citizens who have made outstanding contributions to the alliance will be engraved in the temple for people to pay their respects... It is said that this is the design of Davos.As a citizen of the Alliance, especially a senator who doesn't want to leave his name in history, it's inevitable that Tritodemus couldn't control his emotions and beamed with joy.

At this time, a voice of dissatisfaction sounded: "Since it is all the credit of the Mint Committee, and our Institute of Mathematics has nothing to do, what are you going to do with the 'Amendolara Original Citizen Medal'... and other things, Don't look for us again!" Terry Todmos looked back and saw that it was Maticoris, and hurriedly said to Daves: "It is thanks to Maticolis, Mentoti that we can make such exquisite coins." Keels Institute of Mathematics, if it weren't for the coinage mold they designed, and the hydraulic...hydraulic..."

"It's a hydraulic press!" Matikoris added impatiently.

Tritodemus coughed awkwardly and said: "It is precisely because they designed these wonderful tools that we can make such exquisite coins! Don't say that we have surpassed Pythagoras when he made coins. The coins designed by Tarpontum are comparable to the coins of Athens, which are famous throughout Greece!"

"This is not entirely due to us..." It was said that their skills surpassed their ancestor Pythagoras. Mentotic Els, who has always been steady, said modestly: "If it weren't for Mr. Davos who designed it, The water wheel of the Corati River inspired us, and we would not have thought of using water power to replace manpower. Unfortunately, the force generated by the water flow of the Corati River is not large enough to fully drive the big hammer you mentioned last time. A large hydraulic forging hammer for cast iron."

"Then see the dam." Davers blurted out.

"Dam?!" Mattiklis's eyes lit up.

"Let's talk about this later." Construction is going on everywhere in Dionia right now, including the resettlement of Asprostum and Krimisa, the construction of the Temple of Hades, the construction of roads, Krimisa The renovation of the Samarsh area, the construction of the Turii thermal bathhouse... There is simply no more labor to build dams with higher requirements and more complex designs.So, Davos changed the subject and said to Tritodemus: "Martiklis and the others will not compete with you for this credit, because they are destined to become famous mathematicians and sages throughout Greece in the future. There must be statues of them in the temple!”

Faced with such high praise, Matikoris was a little embarrassed. He stroked his head and smiled.Although Mento Tike Els, who was next to him, behaved more steadily, he could not hide the excitement on his face.

After seeing off Tritodemus, only two guests, Matikoris and Mentotic Els, were left in the living room.Now they are no longer ordinary disciples of the noble but humble Pythagoreans when they first met. As early as last year, through their achievements in manufacturing waterwheels and popularizing mathematics among the people for free, Davos was in the Senate. At the meeting, the "Bill for the Introduction of Foreign Scholars" was proposed and passed (together with the previous "Doctors' Bill" and the subsequently approved "Teachers' Bill", later generations also called it the three major bills of Dionia to improve the quality of citizens. , with the passage of time, the cultural center of the Mediterranean gradually moved westward (this is a story later), making them official citizens of Dionia.

Although they studied mathematics in Tarantum, they were not citizens of Tarantum, but were natives of the Sicilian city-state Leotini. It was only because they loved mathematics and admired Pythagoras that they stayed in Tarantum for a long time. , and because their home was occupied by Syracuse, they actually became homeless. This was the main reason why the Pythagoreans let them come to Amendolara in the first place, because they were of no importance to the school. .However, in the Dionia Alliance, their status has undergone earth-shaking changes. Not only do they have land and houses, but they are also respected. Davos also privately funded the construction of a mathematics institute for them, providing free assistants, The slaves and various materials and funds allowed them to devote themselves to the theoretical research and practical application of mathematics without being disturbed by the outside world.

Mathematicians of this era did not only study mathematics. They were also involved in other scientific fields such as physics and astronomy. For example, Pythagoras had his own original ideas in music and aesthetics. He was the first to create the famous "golden section". Proposed.For this reason, Davos would occasionally make some requests of his own to the Institute of Mathematics. Matikoris and the others were happy to put aside their own research temporarily to complete the tasks assigned by Davos, not because of the power of the consul. It's because the various devices envisioned by Davos often involve the application of some complex and even novel mathematical and physical knowledge, which is of great benefit to them in consolidating and researching mathematical and physical theories.

(End of this chapter)