Money: From coin to cryptocurrency
The origins of coins, paper money, shares and other financial instruments.
From Mesopotamian loan records which are over 4,000 years old to the cryptocurrencies of today, money has been with us for a long time. But how did we get from exchanging bits of metal or cowrie shells to the algorithmic trading of shares? Why did paper money originate in Song-dynasty China? Why was the Gold Standard adopted in the 19th Century? And what is money anyway?
These are some of the questions that Bridget Kendall investigates with the help of three financial historians: Ute Wartenberg, president of the American Numismatic Society; William Goetzmann, professor of Finance and Management Studies at Yale University; and Christian de Pee, professor of History at the University of Michigan. They also answer listeners' questions about the history of finance.
(Photo: Roman gold coins found in Corbridge, UK in 1911. Credit: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Images)
Last on
Broadcasts
- Sun 20 Mar 2022 14:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
- Thu 24 Mar 2022 10:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
Featured in...
The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Festival—Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service special collections
Programmes celebrating what brings us together
Technology and innovations—The Forum
Machines, materials and methods that changed how the world works
Do you think political or business leaders need to be charismatic? Or do you prefer highly competent but somewhat stern people?
Podcast
-
The Forum
The programme that explains the present by exploring the past