BOOK REVIEW: WOMEN, PIGS AND SHELLS

Van Dijk, René : Women, Pigs and Shells - Lost Forms of Money I Dowry Payment, Burial Money, Hoarding, Means of Exchange and Status - Symbol.Rijswijk oO 2016, 475 pages. ISBN: 978-90-825239-2-8

This book is a translation of the first of two Dutch-language publications (2016) into English.

This volume deals with Oceania (pp. 22-191), Asia (pp. 194-281) and Africa (pp. 284-462), with the chapters on Oceania and Africa divided into "Lost Forms of Money" (both Chapter) and "Ornament (-money)" cap. Oceania or "Prestige objects and adornment money" - Chap. Africa.

Outline principle is the arrangement of the individual objects in the alphabet - probably following the example of Opitz - with the dilemma of having to accept a mixture of native names and English: Not every reader is z. For example, the Trobriand skirts can be found under the name "skirt-money" (p. 114f.) Or the so-called Chinese soul locks (p. 251) under the name "Silver adornment money" or the chains of Buschmann pearls under the name "Egg shell chain "(page 345). For the most part, information on measures and weights of the objects, eg. T. also to the materials used. One would also like to know which of the presented objects belong to the collection of the author and which may not.

The author has explained in the introductions his intentions with the publication. He had the desire "to document my entire collection with the specification of background" (p. 13) - "The purpose of the book is to describe the most prominent lost forms of money of the world and to provide some background to them." P. 14) - and he wanted to close a literature gap for the Netherlands, "providing some background information". , (P. 15) The latter succeeded him; There is no comparable publication on the subject that provides so much text, image and map material on the treated objects.

Of course, there are some gaps in the intended completeness of the relevant forms of money; For example, the author has disregarded many forms of commodity money, African-imported forms of money such as coral beads, Neptunes, Indian and European textiles, firearms and gunpowder.

The author has given as its main sources of knowledge the "outstanding reference works" of Quiggin and Opitz, as well as the Ballarini for Africa and the Taxay for America. Opitz and Ballarini are but only z. T. acceptable as references, since they present rows of objects that are not protected by source. In contrast, you miss reference works such. B. Only, Rivallain and German. The fact that the author made use of many (but not all) relevant contributions from the "primitive money collector" was certainly useful, as these contributions are well documented in terms of source.

To read the complete article, see:
Fritz Klusmeier: Van Dijk, René : Women, Pigs and Shells - Lost Forms of Money I (http://www.eucoprimo.com/2017/02/17/buchbesprechung/)

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