Packet 1: Bonus 6
In The Global History of Money, Akinobu Kuroda answers the “riddle” of this currency’s demand through its role as a buffer between pound sterling and local monies like amole. For 10 points each:
[10h] What currency was sometimes called “Levantine” for its ubiquity among Arab traders? In the 19th century, it was the major trade coin along the Red Sea and Swahili Coast.
ANSWER: Maria Theresa thaler [or Maria Theresa taler or MTT; or the Maria Theresa dollar; prompt on thaler, taler, or dollar]
[10e] The Maria Theresa thaler was exchanged for amole salt bars in this country, where Menelik II failed to replace it with the birr. Italy purchased MTT “coinage rights” from Austria before invading this country in 1935.
ANSWER: Ethiopia [or the Ethiopian Empire; or Abyssinia]
[10m] These ships carried thalers across a trade network that spanned from Zanzibar to Makran. The Royal Navy’s slave patrols often stopped these lateen-rigged ships, which were also used by pearl divers in the Persian Gulf.
ANSWER: dhows [accept sambuk, badan, shu‘ai, jaliboot, baggala, bateel, or boom]
<Editors, World History> | I1. Prelims Tiebreaker - NYU A + NYU B + Case Western (Tiebreaker Half 1)
| Heard | PPB | E % | M % | H % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10.00 | 100% | 0% | 0% |