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I guess the implicit question is why such obsession on fighting and weapons on the coins. Anthropologist David Graeber has a fascinating perspective (https://ww

by xster 5y ago

I guess the implicit question is why such obsession on fighting and weapons on the coins. Anthropologist David Graeber has a fascinating perspective (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZIINXhGDcs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZIINXhGDcs). He posits that our present assumptions about money (first there's barter, then coins and fiat money, then credit) is actually backwards. And that primitive societies rather had interlocking systems of informal credit between everyone instead, since everyone knew everyone and you only really needed to settle the difference very infrequently. And coins only really came into play as a supply logistics mechanism for traveling armies. Since a band of people traveling through town can't participate in the informal credit system. And so the taxation system created in such a way that the food producers needed to acquire an "external" currency the army had. And that this was shown archeologically where concentration of coins were denser around militarized border regions of various societies around the world.

actually_a_dog 5y ago
> And that primitive societies rather had interlocking systems of informal credit between everyone instead, since everyone knew everyone and you only really needed to settle the difference very infrequently. And, thus, the very first blockchain (i.e. distributed ledger) was created.
- simonh 5y ago
  The Great Wall of China was built by labourers making and laying blocks, many of them providing their labour to meet regional tax quotas. They marked sections showing who built which section. This makes it the first proof of work block chain. More temporary structures used palisade fences of wooden posts, the remains of these posts giving us the first proof of stake.
  - notinty 5y ago
    Kafka has a lovely telling of how the Great Wall of China was built: http://www.kafka-online.info/the-great-wall-of-china.html http://www.kafka-online.info/the-great-wall-of-china.html
kqr 5y ago
That book (Graeber's Debt) really opened up my eyes to how valuable anthropology is for understanding human interactions. (No shit! In hindsight.) (Well, it did that, and taught me a lot about economy and finance in the grand scheme of things.) Since I read it, I've started looking more into some anthropology-leaning literature, and found that when people are a something-slash-anthropologist, there's somewhat reliably always fresh insight in what they're saying. Anyway, I'm about to enjoy Graeber's post-humous Dawn of Everything now.
wdb 5y ago
I always love these postings about these subjects on HN. Especially, as I studied Cultural Anthropology myself. Find it more interesting than most technical posts :))

by xster 5y ago

actually_a_dog 5y ago

> And that primitive societies rather had interlocking systems of informal credit between everyone instead, since everyone knew everyone and you only really needed to settle the difference very infrequently. And, thus, the very first blockchain (i.e. distributed ledger) was created.

simonh 5y ago
The Great Wall of China was built by labourers making and laying blocks, many of them providing their labour to meet regional tax quotas. They marked sections showing who built which section. This makes it the first proof of work block chain. More temporary structures used palisade fences of wooden posts, the remains of these posts giving us the first proof of stake.
- notinty 5y ago
  Kafka has a lovely telling of how the Great Wall of China was built: http://www.kafka-online.info/the-great-wall-of-china.html http://www.kafka-online.info/the-great-wall-of-china.html

kqr 5y ago

That book (Graeber's Debt) really opened up my eyes to how valuable anthropology is for understanding human interactions. (No shit! In hindsight.) (Well, it did that, and taught me a lot about economy and finance in the grand scheme of things.) Since I read it, I've started looking more into some anthropology-leaning literature, and found that when people are a something-slash-anthropologist, there's somewhat reliably always fresh insight in what they're saying. Anyway, I'm about to enjoy Graeber's post-humous Dawn of Everything now.

wdb 5y ago

I always love these postings about these subjects on HN. Especially, as I studied Cultural Anthropology myself. Find it more interesting than most technical posts :))