$
Before money, there was trust.
c. 9000 BCE — The dawn of barter
9000 BCE
grain
obsidian
livestock
shells
£
600 BCE
Lydia
electrum
stater
4.7g
Metal became memory.
c. 600 BCE — Lydian coinage¥
The invisible hand writes in ledger ink.
1776 — Smith’s Wealth of Nations
1776
supply
demand
equilibrium
surplus
€
1760
steam
cotton
GDP +340%
labor
Steam replaced sinew. Capital replaced craft.
1760–1840 — The Industrial Revolution₩
Demand is not weakness. It is the engine.
1936 — Keynes’ General Theory
1936
aggregate
multiplier
fiscal
liquidity
₿
1971
NASDAQ
2008
bitcoin
0.00076
Value flows at the speed of light.
1971–present — The digital age∞
The next economy has not yet been named.
Tomorrow — What comes after growth?
2030
post-growth
UBI
climate
AI