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An Abbreviated History of Money

Just as there have been times of great economic prosperity when civilizations grew to unparalleled heights,

there have also been periods when money and its use have disappeared completely for hundreds of years.

Money has repeatedly disappeared and resurfaced during humankind’s ongoing attempt to exert financial

control over our destiny and that of the world.

From the beginning of recorded history, human beings exchanged goods and services as a means of

survival. Commodities such as food, animals, fur, tobacco, and even people, in the form of slavery, have

been exchanged for other goods and services. This barter of one thing for another, however, had a very

different energy from the exchange of money for goods. Early commerce created community out of

necessity. People had little choice but to become interdependent, relying on one another for basic needs

and survival. Money altered this reality and changed human experience in ways that were inconceivable

before its invention. As people began to rely on one another less and less, the experience of community

diminished – although we still long for it. Once money was in widespread use, the needs and desires of

human beings changed dramatically, and they have grown more complex and challenging ever since.

Excerpt from Money Magic by Deborah L. Price 14