MONEY USED DURING ANCIENT TIMES

System of Bartering

Bartering was the exchanging system that prevailed centuries before the invention of coins where two beneficiaries exchange goods and services without giving or taking money. Later, it developed from the exchange of essential commodities to the exchange of craft and fur items for silk materials, spices, perfumes, etc. This system was largely dependent on trust and need.

Strange items used for exchange

It’s hard to believe that the goods they exchanged range from feather to gold. Historians show that Aztecs used small figures carved out of gold for exchange however gold, copper, bronze rings were used by Egyptians. In India, cattle were exchanged whereas rice was used for exchange in China. In Papua New Guinea, people used canine teeth for bartering, and the exchange of feathers prevailed in Solomon islands. Ancient studies revealed that the means of exchange varied from country to country. Bartering of slaves was also considered as a mode of payment in Ancient  Rome and Greece. As time went on, these things were replaced by salt and shell.

Shell money

The history of usage of shell money dates back to 3500 BC where people used shells as money for the exchange of goods and services. It was Ancient Sumerians who first used shell money later it expanded to America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Native Americans used long-shelled mollusks, on the other hand, Ancient Sumerians used portion cut and polished from cone-shaped shells as money.

Salt money

Salt helps in preserving food and to make taste in food. But, can you believe that centuries back it was used as money? The use of salt as a payment method came since men can't live without it. In earlier days, salt was so precious as gold now. Merchants paid salts to buy slaves and other goods and services. In Abyssinia, slabs of rock salt or `amoles’ were used for trade exchange. The very word `Salary’ comes from the Latin word `Salarium’ which means` Salt money’.

Tea money

People used  ‘tea’ as a mode of payment centuries ago. Tea money or tea bricks were the payment method in China, Siberia, Mongolia, Russia, and Tibet during the time of the 9th to 20th centuries. These money were the leaves and stalks of tea plants that were grounded into brick forms of various sizes imprinted with values. For small transactions, these bricks were broken and pieces of them were given instead.