But for large livestock such as cattle and sheep, the exchange process is too troublesome. In the Shang dynasty, with the increasing proficiency of hunting technology, I began to have a new idea and replaced it with a little thing.
At that time, most people lived along the coast, and it was easier to catch shellfish in shallow coastal areas. Looking at the hard and small shells, the shell exchange instead of livestock was born.
This is the oldest currency, shells. After the replacement of the times, it gradually became a series of copper coins and coins. So in Shang dynasty, shells were used as money, so why didn't people pick up more shells to make themselves rich?
0 1 small and hard shell
Shells, shells of mollusks living near the water, are calcified, so they are quite hard. There are many kinds of shells, including tiger shell, white shell, five-claw shell, pearl shell, bighorn snail, horseshoe snail, conch and so on, with hundreds of kinds.
Some shells even have a pearl-like luster, which is often used in the jewelry industry or for making shell carvings. , has a certain ornamental value, deeply sought after and liked by the people.
Besides, pearls as we know them are also produced from shellfish. It is an ancient organic gem, and jewelry made of good pearls can even sell for millions of dollars.
In ancient times, Neanderthals began to punch holes in the shells they picked up and made ornaments to wear around their necks or waists. It was not until Shang Dynasty that people changed shells into coins.
Shang Dynasty was the second dynasty in the history of China, which lasted from 1600 BC to 1046 BC. Different from Shang Dynasty, it has developed to some extent in mathematics, literature, culture and economy.
Due to the excavation of Oracle bone inscriptions, we can know that Chinese characters were widely used in the Shang Dynasty, and the Chinese characters we use now were basically formed at that time. Coupled with the development of agriculture, animal husbandry, handicrafts and other industries, the economy of Shang Dynasty was quite prosperous.
This makes people have some minor problems when exchanging goods, such as the large size of livestock, inconvenient to go out and carry, etc., and all kinds of disadvantages are exposed.
"The solution is always more difficult than anything", so someone came up with a little thing to replace it. After many attempts, the ancients found that it was best to use shells as "money", but there was no such thing as money at that time
This is the initial formation of China's currency, which has replaced livestock exchange since then, making it more convenient and quick. It was not until the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period that shellfish were eliminated by people, and then copper coins made of metal gradually appeared.
Shells are abundant, but few.
Now we know that there are as many shells as there are stars in the sky, and we can see countless shells. Similarly, whether living by the sea or inland, we can see many shells.
However, this was not the case in ancient times. At that time, although the hunting technology was improved, it was not possible to assist human salvage with instruments as it is now, so fishing was still a dangerous job.
From the relevant historical records, we can know that human beings have been afraid of the ocean since ancient times, especially in ancient times when the level of scientific and technological civilization was not high, and the ocean was like a god to them.
So is the salvage of shellfish. They can only look for it in shallow water or on the shore, and they will lose their lives if they are not careful. And because of the inconvenient transportation, people in the inland can't pick up shells.
Shells that have just been salvaged cannot be used as money. They must go through a series of processing and polishing to make them shiny before they can be used for material exchange.
As we all know, in ancient times, power was in the hands of some dignitaries. Of course, shells as money are no exception. Ordinary people can only be employed as laborers, and they can't grab shells at will.
They can only get shells by selling their own labor and selling them at low prices, so as to get some meager "wages" and then process the shells they buy.
Nobles are naturally reluctant to entrust these rights to ordinary people, so even if there were many shells at that time, people could not make themselves rich by picking up more shells.
Metal smelting is more and more mature, and shells are gradually replaced.
With the maturity of metal smelting, people gradually find that shells are not as good as money, and they are not as convenient and numerous as metals in processing and rarity.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, various currencies broke out due to national division. After Qin Shihuang unified the six countries, a new currency appeared-Qin Banliang, and Beibi was replaced.
China has also ended the era of using shells as money, but shells are still used by wealthy nobles as decorations to decorate clothes or jewelry, but they just disappeared in the history of coins in China.
After the currency history of China, it experienced copper coins, gold and silver, paper money, and now bank savings cards and online payment. Only gold and silver have been used as currencies for the longest time, and even now they have been used as global currencies.
Amao still remembers that a few years ago, when people went shopping, they had to bring cash or a bank debit card. Now, a mobile phone can solve all the problems, and online payment has become the mainstream.
This is also a heavy blow to the counterfeit currency industry. People turn money into numbers. Through the connection between banks and the internet, it is convenient for people, and the phenomenon of losing money by collecting counterfeit money is becoming less and less.
As the saying goes, "money makes the mare go." We know that the role of money is enormous, and money can even be used to reverse right and wrong, but "a gentleman loves money and takes it wisely" and cannot be a slave to money.
"Money is like dirt, and righteousness is like gold." Some people can cheat in order to get money, or engage in some improper industries, thus ruining their lives. Amao thinks that he should learn from Li Baiduo. "Jade is not expensive enough, so I will never be drunk!" .
"Be neither poor nor rich", money is only used to make our life more comfortable, not to bind us. As the saying goes, "money is a thing outside the body, so you should enjoy your free time more, instead of being under the pressure of making money every day."