What do public and private keys have to do with Alpscheit and Krapfentessel?
To access a cryptocurrency balance like ₿, you need a public key and a private key. Whoever has both keys can use the balance. Therefore, a private key should be stored securely – away from the internet – because if the key is forgotten or stolen, the balance is lost.
The idea of using two keys is quite old. When a large part of the population was still illiterate, tally sticks were a part of everyday life for tracking credits and debts. Even back then, there were tally sticks with two or more parts.
For example, a number (representing the amount owed or credited) was carved into a tally stick in the presence of witnesses, and the wood was then split in such a way that any subsequent alteration of the notches would have been immediately noticeable when the two pieces of the tally stick were joined. Both parties – creditor and debtor – each received half of the tally stick.
Krapfentessel aus dem Alpinen Museum der Schweiz (ALPS) in Bern. Foto thw
Ähnlich auch beim Alpscheit:
Auf einer Alp ist die Menge an Gras, die dort wächst, begrenzt. Von diesem Gras kann eine begrenzte Zahl von Kühen einen Sommer lang leben. Davon wiederum hängt der Ertrag der Alp – Milch, Käse, Butter, Fleisch – ab. Für erfahrene Bauersleute waren das voraussehbare Mengen. Doch zuerst einmal muss jede Alpweide mit harter Arbeit nutzbar gemacht werden. Die Gemeinde erteilte allen Beteiligten entsprechend ihrem Anteil an dieser Arbeit das Recht auf eine bestimmte Zahl an Kühen, die sie im Sommer auf der Alp weiden lassen durften. Diese Rechte wurden öffentlich im Alpscheit markiert.
On a wooden beam , this number of cows (cow rights) was carved along with the family's house mark. Then, small pieces of the beam – the "Tesseln" – were cut away so that both the Tessel and the beam bore the house mark and the number of cows.
While the beam could be over a meter long, the tessellations were only 2-4 cm long (two inserted tessellations can be seen in the photo above right).
Alpscheit from the Museum of Cultures Basel. Photo: thw
Bei jedem Alpaufzug wurde die Anzahl der Kühe, die eine Familie entsprechend den Kerben ihres Hölzchens auftreiben durfte, vom Alpmeister mit den Kerben im Alpscheit verglichen. Auf diese Weise konnten die Rechte der Familien gesichert und eine übermässige Nutzung der Alpweiden verhindert werden.
Alpmeister
"I was elected by the community and I keep the alpine tally safe. I am not allowed to drive my own cows up to this alpine pasture and I am vigilant and incorruptible."
Farmer
"I keep our tessellations safe because our well-being depends on them. I can also sell our share or buy rights from others."
Farmer's Wife
"I keep a close eye on what the men are doing with our shares in the alpine pasture. Our children and grandchildren should also be able to live well here."
Das vom Alpmeister aufbewahrte Alpscheit entspricht dem öffentlichen Schlüssel (public key), das darin eingepasste Holzstück einer Bauernfamilie dem privaten Schlüssel (private key) in den modernen Kryptowährungen.
But back then, this system was anything but anonymous! The whole community knew about it.
What is the benefit to society if cryptocurrencies can be traded anonymously ?
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