Wednesday   August 4, 1999  10:23 PM

The old Latin words for money were :
pecunia
moneta
nummi
numisma

In the ancient Roma the tickets (a penalty) were paid
by beefs or sheeps. The latin word for sheeps is pecus
so that the first money was called pecunia.
The latin name moneta come from the name of the Goddes
" Iuno Moneta " now called Giunone. Because near the
her temple there was the Roma's mint. So that the latin word 
moneta is for metal money or coin.

It's interesting to note that the Nummulites, which are fossil
Foraminifera, such as Nummulites perforatus, have a name
which means stone -coin from nummus (coin) and litos (stone),
because of their shape.

The Italian word for coin is still moneta.

Warm regards, Maurizio.
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-----Messaggio originale-----
Da:     shelloak [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Inviato:        mercoledì 4 agosto 1999 19.56
A:      [log in to unmask]
Oggetto:        ?????

My good Friends:  I have a problem.  In the olden Roman times were all the
Latin words used then the same as they are today?  My problem comes from
the name given to a small Cypraea which Linne named Cypraea moneta, I guess
because the natives used this shell for money.  BUT in the old Roman Latin
it was not used to describe money,  Moneta was the name of the temple of
the God Juno, much later after this temple was built, the Romas used the
temple to mint the first coins of that era.  Nowhere can I find that the
Romans called their coins moneta, maybe I am not reading the correct books,
so could any of you solve this problem for me?   John Bernard   Crossville,
Tennessee