The Rise of Rurik

Chapter 48: True Latitude

Rurik's house kept a lot of money, and the people of the tribe knew that there must be a big treasure chest full of wealth in the chief's house.

No one was trying to take the treasure for himself, maybe someone had a bad idea, and they gave up at the thought of the terrible outcome.

Because the core members of the Ross tribe are the current size of a family after many generations of reproduction. Stealing the belongings of clan members is a serious crime, the thief will be executed unceremoniously, and the thief's property will also be inherited by the victim.

What's more, the people who lived near Rurik's house were the people whom his father trusted most, and they were all closely related by blood to his father.

A lot of boring time as a child gave Rurik time to play with a lot of silver and copper coins. He heard the news of his mother with a strong purpose, and basically figured out the price situation within the tribe, and then calculated the prices of those allies. some situations.

In the Circum-Baltic Sea region, and even in the whole of Western Europe, various currencies minted by Eastern Rome are the most mainstream currencies in circulation.

But the origins of these currencies are varied, and there are even copper coins minted at the end of Western Rome that are still in circulation. Ultimately, a good businessman must understand the exchange ratio between different currencies through different fineness.

The people of Scandinavia preferred silver and silver coins minted on a large scale in the 7th century in Eastern Rome, and in general, silver coins were what they could get in large quantities.

Those silver coins that are close to the current era are generally of good condition, but the silver content cannot be complimented.

After all, hundreds of years before the massive influx of South American silver into the world market after the discovery of the New World, there was not much silver in circulation as currency.

Eastern Rome also had to process a lot of silver and gold coins, especially silver coins, which weighed just over four grams.

Six silver coins are roughly estimated to be one ounce (the 9th century ounce setting), which is generally accepted by Viking merchants, after all, they have not yet developed coinage technology, and even the Frankish Empire is not at the level of this. Very bad.

Although it was surrounded by powerful enemies, the currency of Eastern Rome circulated in the East and the West at the same time, and the distant Baltic Sea was also its circulation area. The Romans never thought of this.

A very good silver coin can be exchanged for a variety of other currencies in a wide variety of fines, as well as hides from different species.

An item is needed to measure the value of Eastern Roman "good quality" silver coins. There is a customary exchange ratio between the Ruth tribe and allies in the South, that is, a stika of sheared sheepskin is worth a "Good quality" silver coin.

Of course, one "good quality" gold coin corresponds to exactly ten "good quality" silver coins. Gold coins are scarce, and they are rarely used in trade.

Silver coins are only used in large quantities when important goods are involved. The transactions of the Rus tribe on weekdays can basically be achieved through Roman copper coins.

The exchange ratio of copper coins and silver coins here is also quite amazing.

Any number system needs to be used to solve practical mathematical problems. Rurik used a large number of symbols commonly used in modern mathematics, which naturally attracted Veria's attention.

She asked about the meaning of some "Roman words" marked on the wooden board. Rurik didn't think much about it. He said it was the meaning of angle.

Old Norse words with similar meanings existed, and Rurik's brief explanation Veria quickly understood.

Maybe if I give a good lecture, she will fully understand?

Rurik entered the state, but he miscalculated the fact that Veria seemed to understand quickly, she was still a person with an extreme lack of knowledge.

What is the existence of the earth's inclination, the real reason for the cold of Rossburg, the change of the direct angle of the sun, Rurik is like a teacher, teaching to his seventy-year-old students.

Veria just tried to sit quietly. She seemed to understand the child's words quickly, but unfortunately she could understand many Norse words.

Putting them together is incomprehensible.

She at least learned that the child Rurik said a lot of words, and used a knife to quickly cut a piece of charcoal to make gestures. What the child did was trying to convince herself that the original appearance of the world is a spinning circle. the big ball.

Because of the rotation, there is an alternation of day and night.

Because it tilts and rotates, there are four seasons of the year.

A speaker, after giving a presentation, is often delighted that he has done it well. Rurik seemed very unfinished. Since he was born, he has not done any scientific popularization to another person, just because he has not found a soulmate.

"Grandma, do you understand now? We don't have to fly into the sky to see the whole world with our own eyes, we just need to take some measurements on the ground and we can describe the whole world."

Veria shook his head deeply: "My child, I'm too old. I can't understand what you said. Even if I understand, what's the point? My life is coming to an end soon."

Her words added to the pathos again.

To be honest, Rurik really felt sorry for the old Veria. If she hadn't lived in such a wild age, for example, a thousand years later, even though she was a woman, Veria would have become a woman in Sweden. scholar.

"Grandma, I really hope you can continue to live, at least...at least until you are a hundred years old."

"Don't be silly, boy. I've served Odin all my life, and I think I've been acknowledged because of you. That's my destiny, and I'll be another Valkyrie. Boy, you're happy. Odin Granted you much knowledge, these must be the truths of Valhalla, incomprehensible to mortals."

"No! Grandma, all the knowledge I know can be understood by mortals."

"Oh? You're an emissary, and will you impart knowledge to our tribe? That's Valhalla's knowledge, after all."

"I will, I think Odin will also support it." Rurik thought for a while, and made a bold oath: "I have a dream that all the children of the tribe can learn my knowledge. Well, Vaal Hara's knowledge. Don't worry. Odin didn't forbid us to spread knowledge, maybe everything is their plan, they need to recruit warriors to learn wisdom in advance."

The great development of human civilization starts from the emancipation of the mind, the shackled mind suddenly becomes active, and human beings also rapidly enter the industrial civilization.

In just two hundred years since the beginning of industry, human beings have created 97% of the wealth of the 10,000-year history of human civilization, and human beings have even forgotten that the state of semi-starvation is the normal state of life for a long time.

In the ninth century AD, the number one driving force that drove the Vikings to leave their homeland for barbarism was hunger.

Veria still felt that Rurik's words made sense, and she asked: "What if those children are not willing to listen to you?"

"I will give orders because I am the leader! I will force the children to study! Only the most knowledgeable and good at fighting can be my cronies, and I will entrust them with greater work and give them more wealth. .my grandma, believe me, if learning knowledge can lead to greater wealth, no child will want to continue to be stupid. So, I will also order all girls to learn knowledge, I believe only smart mothers in this case Smarter kids in education."

Rurik's words were amazing again, and the possibility he proposed now was something Veria never thought of.

Regardless of whether it is feasible for boys to receive education, he still feels that education cannot be differentiated between men and women.

Veria resonates very well, because the priests of the tribe are basically monopolized by women. As a priest, you have to learn a lot, especially to recite those prayers accurately.

Apparently Rurik didn't mean by any means to make all the tribal girls become priests, but to learn other things, such as making children believe that the world is a ball.

Veria's old wrinkled face gradually showed a smile, and then she giggled: "child, I have seen the hope of the tribe, and I have no regrets in my life. Maybe the world is a ball, now continue your calculations! I I need an answer."

"Ok!"

In fact, by now, Rurik has basically determined that the location of Rosberg is just at the limit of the Arctic Circle.

Rurik was a serious man, and he felt that he had to measure data to get an accurate result.

The error of the Julian calendar has been very serious. Fortunately, according to the daily experience provided by Veria, Rurik is very convinced that the real winter solstice has been postponed to December 28, and it will even be postponed decades later. to the twenty-ninth.

Through Veria's explanation, Rurik understood that the priest's ability to accurately predict the correct day of Hanukkah is not something that can be calculated. Everything has to start with the Roman black man whom Veria met when he was young.

After all, in the concept of most people in this time and space, the world is eternal, and the sun, moon, and stars are also eternal.

The makers of the calendar believed this, and they were very annoyed that their own calendar was always flawed, preventing it from becoming eternal. The priests in Rome determined the precise error of the calendar through astronomical observations, and then 30 years ago, Veria not only knew that The Julian calendar is also aware of errors.

She never thought that there was still an error in this calendar. Fortunately, the error generated in thirty years was very small, which also made her every prediction extremely successful!

Taking the real winter solstice into the calculation, Rurik quickly calculated the real direct sunlight angle today, which is indeed quite different from the measurement data just now.

Using the new data into the formula, the conclusion is that the north latitude is a little more than 66, which is nearly 3 larger than the previous data.

The 66 north latitude is very interesting, because that's what delimits the Arctic Circle. This data is also very consistent with Veria's experience, only in such a position, and only on the winter solstice, the sun will not rise.

Rurik showed Veria his answer with another lengthy explanation.

He wondered if the wisest priest understood his words, at least there was a kind smile on the priest's wrinkled face.

She should have understood a lot.