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title: Money Transitions Table

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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