Skojec was a medieval central European unit of account as well as a unit of mass. It was also used as a unit of currency. 1 skojec was equal to 1/24 of a grzywna. 1 skojec = 30

pfennig The 'pfennig' (; . 'pfennigs' or ; symbol pf or ₰) or penny is a former German coin or note, which was the official currency from the 9th century until the introduction of the euro in 2002. While a valuable coin during the Middle Ages, i ...

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wiardunek The Wiardunek (also referred to as wiardunk, czwartak or ferton; german: viertel, la, ferto) was a Mediaeval Central European unit of mass most widely used in Poland and Germany. Wiardunek was also used as a unit of account, and as a such as comm ...

= 6 skojecs
1 skojec = 2 groschen The etymology of the word skojec derives from the word ''skot'' which in old Polish described

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

; cattle were used as the reference unit of exchange since at least the time of

ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...

, as there are references in the

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odysse ...

to a suit of armor costing 9 oxen. Athenian lawgiver

Draco Draco is the Latin word for serpent or dragon. Draco or Drako may also refer to: People * Draco (lawgiver) (from Greek: Δράκων; 7th century BC), the first lawgiver of ancient Athens, Greece, from whom the term ''draconian'' is derived * D ...

, when establishing his laws in 621 BCE, defined all the

fine Fine may refer to: Characters * Sylvia Fine (''The Nanny''), Fran's mother on ''The Nanny'' * Officer Fine, a character in ''Tales from the Crypt'', played by Vincent Spano Legal terms * Fine (penalty), money to be paid as punishment for an offe ...

s in terms of how many cattle must be paid. The

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word for

money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...

, ''pecunia'', is proof that Romans always saw cattle (''pecus'') as the source of wealth. In time, a slab of

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

with an imprint of an ox became equivalent to the worth of the animal. In India, the word ''rupia'' means both cattle and money. Similarly, in Poland ''skot'' meant cattle and its extension ''skojec'' described money.H.Cywiński, ''Z dziejów pieniądza na świecie'', Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, 1986

References

{{money-unit-stub Units of mass