Numismatic Hieroglyphs

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Numismatic Hieroglyphs
By Celybuin Hui'nalyw

When undertaking any work of Numismatics it is important to consider provenance and composition. Each lead to a unique understanding of origin while more often than not present an underlying insight into a historical notion.

Foundation:

The proverbial standard for all consideration is the Caliphate Golden Dinar. A beacon in the night glimmering like the Celestial Disc above trading hands among caravandeer and privateer alike across the Sea of Pearls. It serves as the foundation upon which Baz'eel's greatest eras rose and the benchmark upon which all other


As raised in his seminal work, Forgio Mariavicci's "Coinage of the Caliphate"

... as assessed by accomplished alchemist...has a composition ...ninety eight percent pure gold... as opposed to modern...Sixty Seven percent.

While these rates fluctuated over the ages, and some say lent to the feuding of the War of Pearls in some means, the presumption can be lent that the Caliphate Silver Dinar and the Caliphate Copper Dinar often shared at the Coinchangers prove a dire portent - The treasury stretched thin and the value of the Dinar only plummeting further and further, flooded by the regional strife and struggles.

To find answers as in all things we must look backwards.

A Glimpse to the Past

While in the current era there's tales of entire Wagons of dinar being moved from the Treasury to the Coin changers, or Ka'esh, the higher valued currency of old era served a greater purpose - Weight. To move any weighted value is a complication. In the older Eras of the Caliphate it allowed an ease of transport - for a Gold Dinar simply was more valuable. This allowed, one can envision, the wealthier merchants to ply their trade without the burden of Dune Bison to lead caravan simply able to carry a fortune on their person. Less water for the beast, less water for themselves, and a luxury of travel simply lost to the ages.

Furthermore the Hieroglyphs carved into each Dinar present an earnest gaze into a past. For while the Caliphate Dinar brings an understanding of such efforts, they are not the first Imperial coinage.

Predating them by centuries, as found on one of my archaeological digs on behalf of Sandstone College, was found a Silver Dinar. Old though, so very old. On one side, bore the image of a woman who held in her eyes flowing tear, upon the other, a wooden cup.

...EPHIA...WEEPING...

And though in the current times the Modini may weep tears of joy over the depleted purity of the Baz'eelan Dinar over the Modini Ducat, history is not so far away in other means. The return of the flowing waters tell of a proverbial "Turn of the Wheel" regarding the future of both politics and minted metals.

A Gaze to the Future

Looking onward though it is plain to see that this new Age of Bronze we enter brings with it a fundamental shift of economic and currency. The resurgence of Ephia's Well - He was not known as Hundred Barrel Balstan for delivering copious Dinar to Il Modo. John Syter did not make his fortunes and carve his legacy Selling Dinar. The return of flowing water to Ephia's Well has turned it into a beacon for refugee, warlord, and financier alike eager to make their name in the world. It stands only to logic that in time should the economy of Ephia's Well stabilize, a prospect many Gold espouse as inevitable but many of Purple view with exceedingly high skepticism, that the Water Standard should return allowing the trade of Raw Gold Ore in exchange for Water - seeing to a new era of higher minted coinage.

As a showing of the times at present the Caliphate Copper Dinar is worth Three Baz'eeli Dinar. Which suggests the rates of purity have even plummeted since the Mariavicci's workings.

The question though inevitably becomes will Ephia's governance steer towards the robust fortunes of the Caliphate of old?

Since the arrival of Refugees there has been a robust push towards Independence from Baz'eel - Breaking away from the Baz'eelan Flag to raise their own "Heron" Sigil, Breaking away from traditional textiles courting Gohari Heavy Industries for the new district, and a litany of other countless impurities being mixed into the proverbial coinage.

How shall Numismatic Scholars of the future recount the currency of this age? Time, Economics, and War shall tell which values of Ephia will be printed upon future coinage.

Will it remain the Baz'eelan Dinar? Or will the increasing trend of Ephian Nationalists lead towards seeing their vaunted "Heron" emblazoned upon the discs of deals?

End Research.