This book provides a theoretical and historical examination of the evolution of money. It is distinct from the majority of 'economic' approaches, for it does not see money as an outgrowth of market exchange via barter. Instead, the social, political legal and religious origins of money are examined.

Mark Peacock is Associate Professor in the Department of Social Science, York University, Canada.

Introduction: Economics and History Part I: Theories 1. Carl Menger and the Exchange Theory of Money 2. The 'State' or 'Chartalist' Theory of Money Part II: Ancient Money 3. Money in the Ancient Near East: the 'Beginnings' 4. Money in Archaic Greece: Evidence from Homeric Epic 5. The Religious Origins of Money in 'Homeric Society' 6. 'The Value of a Man': Wergeld, Accounting and Archaic Law 7. Coinage and Money in Classical Greece Part III: Modern Monies 8. Monetization in Colonial Contexts: Famine, Class and Markets in 'Development' Strategies 9. The Moral Economy of Parallel Currencies: The Case of Local Exchange Trading Systems