Lat money
Open-knowledge reference entry
Lat money (Lao: ເງິນລາດ) refers to the bar-shaped coinage minted and used as currency in the kingdom of Lan Xang and its successor kingdoms of Vientiane, Luang Prabang, and Champasak. "Lat" is a Lao abbreviation for "talat" or "market," referring to the small denomination currency which may also be referred to as "boat money" or "Ngern Heua." The bar-shaped coinage of Lan Xang could be differentiated according to shape, weight, metal, alloy, and mint marks.
History
In Lan Xang, as in the rest of Southeast Asia, the earliest and most common mode of exchange would have been barter. The earliest lat coinage is dated from the fourteenth century. The founder of Lan Xang, King Fa Ngum (1353–1378), introduced a new mass unit and use of geometric weights, both of which he adopted from the Khmer. Unlike in neighboring polities where standards fluctuated, the Mekong River valley area maintained a 1.23g or 12.3g standard mass unit from the time of Lan Xang until the nineteenth century. Although denominations are unknown, the smallest denomination transactions would have used the "lat" coins which are made typically of copper or bronze, or an alloy, and have few or no mint marks. Silver "hoi" would have been used for higher value transactions. Coins were manufactured by casting into closed molds. Gold was reserved for royal or religious purposes.
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