Read history
Money history: the world and Japan
The history of money for the whole world, country by country and house by house, read with illustrated scenes. Narration is available too. Chapters 1–5 of the world history and the first chapter of every country are open to all.
19 country histories of money
The whole world
By country
Japan
First scene: The villages of Wa, from the Yayoi period to the 7th century (chapter 1, “Before the coin”)
France
First scene: Phocaea in Asia Minor, and Massalia, about 600 BC (chapter 1, “The silver of Massalia”)
Britain
First scene: South-east Britain, the shore of the Channel, about 150–50 BC (chapter 1, “The gold of the Celts”)
Germany
First scene: The court of the Frankish kingdom, the 8th–9th centuries (chapter 1, “From the denar to the pfennig”)
United States
First scene: The British colonies of North America, the 17th century (chapter 1, “A colony without coin”)
Spain
First scene: Gadir (today's Cádiz), before money (chapter 1, “The Greeks' window”)
Netherlands
First scene: Dorestad, a trading port on the Rhine, the 7th century (chapter 1, “The emperor's silver coin, the people of the sea”)
China
First scene: The Shang royal capital: a tomb chamber underground, the 13th–11th centuries BC (chapter 1, “A memory called cowries”)
Portugal
First scene: The mouth of the Douro: Portus and Cale, the 11th century (chapter 1, “From county to kingdom (1)”)
Italy
First scene: The coast of southern Italy, the 8th century BC (chapter 1, “The silver of the colonies”)
Mexico
First scene: Tenochtitlan, Tlatelolco, Until the early 16th century (chapter 1, “Market of Tlatelolco”)
India
First scene: Ganges Plain, 6th century BCE (chapter 1, “The Sixteen Kingdoms Strike Coinage”)
Russia
First scene: The forests of the East Slavs, Up to the 10th century (chapter 1, “When Fur Was Money”)
Austria
First scene: Tyrol, Schwaz, Late 15th century (chapter 1, “The Mother of All Mountains”)
Turkey
First scene: Bursa Mint, Around 1327 (chapter 1, “The Little White One”)
Korea
First scene: The Gaegyeong Mint, 996 (chapter 1, “First Iron Coinage”)
Greece
First scene: The Banquet Hearth, Before the 6th Century BC (chapter 1, “A Handful of Spits”)
Family stories
Money history read by household rather than by country.
Money history by theme
Read one theme across countries, in order of time. Each scene links into that country’s history.
Comparing the Origins of Money
Materials of Coins and Banknotes
Why the Composition of Gold and Silver Coins Changed
Face Value and Intrinsic Value
What Did Rulers and States Communicate Through Coins?
Shrines, Temples, Faith, and Money
Who Paid for the Wars?
The Unification of a Country and Money
How Were Coins Made?
History of Counterfeit Coins and Banknotes
Why can banknotes be used as money?
History of Banks and Credit
Money Used Across Borders
Currencies that unite, currencies that divide
Why Do Prices Rise?
Money That Is No Longer Used
Japanese Money and Law
Connecting Cash, Deposits, and the Central Bank
The History of Jewish Life and Finance