Smart money6–8 · 9+
Trading Before Money
Before money, people traded things with each other!
Why?
For most of ancient Egypt’s long history, there were no coins! People traded goods and work with each other. A fisherman could swap his fish for a farmer’s grain. This is called barter.
But how did they know if a trade was fair? Egyptians used a measure called the deben, about 90 grams of copper. A pair of sandals was worth 1 deben, and so was a papyrus scroll, so they could be swapped one for one. Three jugs of beer were also worth 1 deben!
Coins only became common in Egypt much later, about 2,500 years ago.
Try it
Play "Nile Market" 🧺! Each person brings 3 small things, like toys or crayons. Trade with each other without any money. Is every trade fair? What happens if you want something, but the other person doesn't want anything you have?
Ask Mum & Dad
Why do you think people invented money?