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| Place / Civilization | Approx. Date | Previous Money | Transition or Observation | 💰 Actual Money (Post-Transition) |
| -------------------------------------------- | ---------------- | -------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------- |
| **Neolithic Europe (pre-Bronze Age)** | \~6000–3000 BCE | 🐄 Livestock, 🌾 Grain | Barter system with emerging proto-money: **cattle, hides, tools**. | 🌾 Grain (local), 🐄 Livestock (hoard) |
| **Mesopotamia (Ur, Babylon)** | \~3000–2000 BCE | 🌾 Grain (barley) in temple accounting | 🥈 Silver **by weight** gradually replaced grain for decentralized trade. | 🥈 Silver |
| **Mesopotamia (Sumer, Akkad, Babylon)** | \~2500–1000 BCE | 🥈 Silver shekel as weight; 🌾 Grain | 🥇 Gold used in elite/international contexts, but **Silver remained monetary base**. | 🥈 Silver |
| **Ancient Egypt** | \~2000–500 BCE | 🌾 Barley, 🥈 Silver by weight | 🥇 Gold used in diplomacy/tribute; 🥈 Silver in international commerce; economy still centered on **grain and account systems**. | 🌾 Grain (local), 🥈 Silver (long-distance) |
| **India (Vedic to Mauryan)** | \~1500–300 BCE | 🐄 Cattle, 🌾 Grain | 🥈 Silver **punch-marked coins** became dominant in trade; 🥇 Gold coins later introduced but not primary. | 🥈 Silver |
| **Philistines / Eastern Mediterranean** | \~1200–800 BCE | 🐚 Cowries, 🥈 Silver by weight | Transitioned to weighed silver **'Hacksilber'** — precursor to coinage. | 🥈 Silver |
| **Phoenician Trade Networks** | \~1000–500 BCE | 🥈 Silver, 🐚 Cowries | Spread of silver weight systems across Mediterranean ports; coins adopted later. | 🥈 Silver |
| **China (Zhou to Qin)** | \~1000–200 BCE | 🐚 Cowrie shells, 🥉 Bronze tools | Transitioned to 🥉 standardized **bronze coins** (spade, knife, round); 🥇 Gold ceremonial only. | 🥉 Bronze (core areas), ⇄ barter |
| **Pre-Roman Italy (Etruscans)** | \~800–400 BCE | 🥉 Bronze lumps (aes rude) | 🥉 Cast bronze coins (aes grave) introduced; 🥈 Silver used increasingly under Greek influence. | 🥉 Bronze |
| **Lydia (Western Anatolia)** | \~650–600 BCE | ⇄ Barter, 🥈 Silver by weight | 🥇🥈 Electrum coins → distinct 🥇 Gold & 🥈 Silver coins by Croesus. | 🥈 Silver (local), 🥇 Gold emerging (elite/trade) |
| **Persian Empire (Achaemenids)** | \~550–330 BCE | 🥈 Silver bars, coins | 🥇 Gold **daric** introduced; imperial tax, elite transactions; 🥈 Silver remained local trade money. | 🥈 Silver (local), 🥇 Gold (imperial finance) |
| **Classical Greece (Athens)** | \~500–300 BCE | 🥈 Silver coins (owls) | 🥇 Gold in elite/military functions; 🥈 Silver still the **unit of account** and everyday money. | 🥈 Silver |
| **Macedonian Empire (Philip II, Alexander)** | \~350–300 BCE | 🥈 Silver drachmas | 🥇 Gold **staters** became international trade/campaign money; 🥈 Silver remained domestic. | 🥈 Silver |
| **Roman Republic → Roman Empire** | \~100 BCE–200 CE | 🥈 Silver denarius | 🥇 Gold aureus in state/elite use; 🥈 Silver denarius gradually debased → 🥇 Gold solidus emerged. | 🥈 Silver → 🥇 Gold (transitioning) |
| **Byzantine Empire** | \~330–1000 CE | 🥇 Gold Solidus, 🥉 Copper (follis) | 🥇 Gold retained value for centuries; 🥉 Copper for small trade; 🥈 Silver largely absent. | 🥇 Gold |
| **Islamic Caliphates** | \~700–1000 CE | 🥇 Gold dinar, 🥈 Silver dirham | 🥇 Gold dinar for trade/taxation; 🥈 Silver dirham retained wide internal use. | 🥇 Gold & 🥈 Silver (parallel) |
| **India (Gupta to Delhi Sultanate)** | \~300–1300 CE | 🥈 Silver coins | 🥇 Gold coins reintroduced by Guptas, later Islamic rulers; multi-metal usage continued. | 🥈 Silver (local), 🥇 Gold (prestige) |
| **China (Tang to Song)** | \~700–1100 CE | 🥉/🥈 Metal coins | 💵 **Paper money** (jiaozi) adopted by merchants; **backed by commodity deposits**; eventually centralized by state. | 🥉 Bronze, 💵 Paper (merchant trust) |
| **West Africa (Ghana, Mali)** | \~800–1300 CE | 🧂 Salt, 🐚 Cowries | 🥇 Gold dust became major currency; **trans-Saharan gold trade flourished**. | 🥇 Gold |
| **Russia (Kievan Rus')** | \~900–1100 CE | 🧥 Fur (tribute), ⇄ barter | 🥈 Silver grivnas adopted via trade (Byzantine, Islamic). | 🥈 Silver |
| **Scandinavia (Vikings)** | \~800–1100 CE | 🧥 Fur, 🐄 Livestock, 🥈 Hack-silver | 🥈 Silver coins introduced via trade; Islamic dirhams and Anglo-Saxon pennies circulated. | 🥈 Silver |
| **China (Yuan/Ming)** | \~1200–1400 CE | 💵 Paper money (Song legacy), 🥉 Bronze | After Mongol hyperinflation, **paper money collapsed** → return to **silver imports** (from Japan, later Americas). | 🥈 Silver |
| **Medieval Europe (Venice, Florence)** | \~1200–1500 CE | 🥈 Silver (gros, deniers) | 🥇 Gold florins/ducats took over long-distance trade; 🥈 Silver remained local tender. | 🥇 Gold (international), 🥈 Silver local |
| **West Africa (Yoruba, Igbo)** | \~1200–1800 CE | 🐚 Cowrie shells | European 🥉/🥈 coins introduced during colonial trade; transition often state-driven. | 🐚 → 🥉/🥈 (gradual) |
| **Inca Empire (Andes)** | \~1200–1530 CE | 🧵 Cloth (quipu), 🥔 Food tribute | 🥇 Gold sacred, not monetary; **Spanish introduced monetary metals post-conquest**. | 🧵/🥔 → 🥈 Silver (via conquest) |
| **Aztecs (Mesoamerica)** | \~1300–1520 CE | 🫘 Cacao, 👕 Cloth, 🥉 Copper bells | 🫘 **Cacao beans** retained as unit of account; Spanish 🥈 Silver replaced it post-1520. | 🫘 Cacao → 🥈 Silver (colonial imposition) |
| **Early Modern Europe** | \~1500–1800 CE | 🥈 Silver (pieces of eight) | 🥇 Gold Influx from Americas → gold becomes elite reserve; 🥈 Silver still used widely. | 🥉/🥈 Copper/Silver (common), 🥇 Gold (hoard) |
| **Ottoman Empire** | \~1500–1800 CE | 🥈 Silver akçe | Gradual debasement of silver; shift to imported European coins (e.g. ducats). | 🥈 Silver (debased), 🥇 Gold (trade) |
| **Colonial North America** | \~1600–1700s CE | 📿 Wampum, ⇄ barter | 🥈🥉 European coins and notes introduced; local economies slowly integrated. | 🥈/🥉 (colonial) |
| **Yap Island (Micronesia)** | \~1600–1900 CE | 🗿 Rai stones | Rai stones retained **ceremonial** role; foreign currency used for trade. | 🗿 (ceremonial), 🥈 Silver trade |
| **Classical Gold Standard (Europe, US)** | \~1870–1914 CE | 🥇/🥈 Gold/Silver Bimetallic | 🥇 **Gold standard** adopted; paper money convertible into gold; **global price structure anchored in gold**. | 🥇 Gold |
| **Global (Bretton Woods)** | 1944–1971 CE | 🥇 Gold-backed currencies | US dollar pegged to gold; other currencies pegged to USD. | 💵 USD (🥇 Gold-backed) |
| **Global (Post-Nixon Shock)** | 1971–Present | 💵 USD (🥇 Gold-backed) | Convertibility to gold suspended → **fiat money era** begins. | 💵 Fiat USD (unbacked) |

#### Authored by ChatGPT