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>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/09/26/national/history/ancient-roman-coins-unearthed-castle-ruins-okinawa/
>Coins issued in ancient Rome have been excavated from the ruins of a castle in Okinawa Prefecture, the local board of education said, the first time such artifacts have been discovered in Japan.
>The board of education in the city of Uruma said the four copper coins, believed to date back to the Roman Empire in the third to fourth centuries, were discovered in the ruins of Katsuren Castle, which existed from the 12th to 15th centuries. Okinawa’s trade with China and Southeast Asia was thriving at the time and the finding is “precious historical material suggesting a link between Okinawa and the Western world,” the board of education said.
>Each coin measures 1.6 to 2 cm in diameter. The designs and patterns on both sides are unclear due to abrasion. Based on X-ray analysis, however, the board said the coins appear to bear an image of Constantine I and a soldier holding a spear. Other relics unearthed from the site include a coin from the 17th century Ottoman Empire, as well as five other round metallic items that also appear to be coins.
Now, these coins most likely got here through trade and were the property of some sort of collector. But that article lead me to this
>http://io9.gizmodo.com/heres-what-third-century-china-thought-about-the-roman-1253007513
which mentions the Weilue, a Chinese text about the Roman Empire.
So how far east did the Romans actually go? Apparently they were somewhat well-known even in China.
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Quite a trade route.
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What was the point of the silk road?
>roman bitches demand silk the way bitches demand diamonds nowadays (also a scam)
>romans mine tons of silver and gold and send it along the silk road
>have to devalue their coinage to keep up with demand
>china gets silver and gold but they don't export it so inflation erases most of its value
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>>1746858
That leads to an interesting question, did they even have an understanding of economics at that time? Or as far later as the Spanish ruining themselves with hyperinflation from too much gold?
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>>1746841
>>1746858
I had no idea the Silk Road was that old, but everything actually makes a lot more sense now that I know that.
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>>1746834
There was extensive trade between Rome and Sri Lanka. There were trade between Romans and China but mostly via middle-man.
>>1746873
I would also like to understand how much Romans coins were there in circulation. China, according to records, were producing 200 mil of coins per year even back during Roman Empire Era. I wonder if Roman records show similar coin circulation.
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>>1746921
Roman metal production absolutely dwarfed that of China so it probably parallels that in the coin department.
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The presence of Roman coins doesn't imply the presence of Romans
To answer the question of China, though the two powers were aware of each other the knowledge was almost exclusively second hand. Official Chinese emissaries were sent to Rome but got turned back at Ctesiphon by the Parthians.
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>>1746939
Thats a huge leap, metal production doesn't mean its used for coins. It could be used for war, for buildings, for building spaceships, warships, etc.
You'll need to give more accurate sources before making that sort of assumption.
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>>1746873
>did they even have an understanding of economics at that time
Yes, the roman mint monitored carefully the monetary situation to decide how much cash to produce yearly. That said, if the consul or later the emperor said "fuck that shit, mint me 1000 silver talents into sesterces, I need to raise some legions", the mint did it, regardless of the effects on the economy.
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>>1746954
>for building spaceships
What happened to all the roman spaceships anyway?
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I would be interested to read the full text. Any links anyone?
As for the OP, from what I understand Asian cultures were aware of the Romans but anything past that we're not sure.
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>>1747194
Of the Weilue? I managed to find
>https://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/weilue/weilue.html
but haven't read it myself. Most of it seems to have been lost, but the part about the "peoples of the West" was quoted somewhere else and survived that way, if what I'm finding is correct.
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Ottoman coins there too? Probably some collector
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Why don't you post the image of the coin?
http://www.sankei.com/photo/story/expand/160926/sty1609260016-p1.html
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>>1747371
>12th-13th Century.
>Collector.
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>>1747501
Coin collecting is an ancient hobby in China/East Asia.
Collectively called Gu Yingbi (古硬币 lit. Ancient Coins)
Started off by bored T'ang aristos collecting shit from Warring States-Han Dynasty china. No doubt done by autistic Japanese nobles in the Yamato-Heian period.
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>>1746834
We wuz Romans and shit
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>>1747512
>Okinawan, not Japanese, fgt.
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>>1746873
>did they even have an understanding of economics at that time?
>>1746990
>Yes, the roman mint monitored carefully the monetary situation
Aye.
I don't know exactly how much to read into this, but counterfeiting carried the death penalty -- often, damnatio ad bestias (getting torn to shreds by wild animals, most often leopards). Or getting buried alive.
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>>1747180
They're out there... waiting...
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>>1746858
>he thinks silk, gold or silver have a relevant amount of real value
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