I think you'd find David Graeber's book Debt very interesting. There are a bunch of common assumptions about how money came into existence that simply aren't wh

I think you'd find David Graeber's book Debt very interesting. There are a bunch of common assumptions about how money came into existence that simply aren't what happened based on the archeological record. Coinage came a lot later than basic debt ledgers, and it was largely an organizational hack by rulers to feed and house their armies. They'd mint coins with their face as seal or whatever, and would issue these to the soldiers as payment, while also requiring all citizens to pay a tax in those same coins. Suddenly everyone is figuring out how to give the soldiers what they want without you having to organize any of it directly.