Roman, medieval, historic, modern (Temporal Keyword)

DOCUMENT Citation Only Robert S Neyland.

Placement of coins in the mast steps of ships  has continued from the Roman 2nd century BC through the medieval, renaissance, and historic periods into the present day.  The tradition is still entrenched in modern shipbuilding and even current Navy ships have a coin placed under the mast or tallest structure on the ship. The practice of putting a coin in the mast step has had continuity in western shipbuilding for over 2,000 years, although it is possible the cultural reasons for the practice...