 Ancient Mesopotamia, around 3000 BCE, no greenbacks, no plastic, just straight up barter. You want some of my barley? Trade me your silver. But as societies got more complex, barter didn't cut it anymore. Enter commodity money, goods with intrinsic value. Fast forward to the 7th century BCE, the Lydians, went all in with the first metal coins. A mix of gold and silver called electrum. Now we had a currency everyone could recognize. Meanwhile, over in China, calorie shells were the big bucks. Different places, different dough, salt, shells, large stones, you name it. This evolution from barter to commodity cash, then to paper money, didn't happen overnight. It took centuries, and it varied across civilizations, but it's what got our economies humming. So next time you spend a buck, remember its roots. Don't forget to subscribe.