Exploring how in 2,250 BC Cappadocia became the first state to guarantee the weight and purity of its silver ingots, creating the idea of international and cross-boundary standards.
"Money. You don't know where it's been,
But you put it where your mouth is.
And it talks." (Money, by Dana Gioia)
The history of money stretches back some 11,000 years. There have been certain key moments in its development and each essay tells their story and the resonance that these revolutionary blips have had ever since.
2. Standards - Once the idea that things without use had value there had to be some sort of agreement about them. And so in 2,250 BC Cappadocia became the first state to guarantee the weight and purity of its silver ingots and the idea of inter-national and cross boundary standards came into being. Professor Paul Cartledge tracks their evolution and considers their leagcy.
Producer: Paul Kobrak.
Last on
Broadcasts
- Wed 15 Jun 2011 22:45麻豆官网首页入口 Radio 3
- Thu 2 Aug 2012 22:45麻豆官网首页入口 Radio 3
Death in Trieste
A 1760s murder still informs ideas about aesthetics, a certain sort of sex, and death.
Watch: My Deaf World
Five compelling experiences of what it is like to be deaf in 21st-century Britain.
The Book that Changed Me
Five figures from the arts and science introduce books that changed their lives and work.
Download The Essay
Download all the episodes from the series and listen at your leisure.
Podcast
-
![]()
The Essay
Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond.
