Educational Media Reviews Online

While ancient civilizations bartered, in approximately 600 BC, the Turks of the city of Lydia began using metal coins as a medium for exchange. Interestingly, the currency was invented for use as a uniform medium of exchange for dowries and for redress for crimes. The currency began to take on all new uses, such as measuring the abstract concept of work. Perhaps not coincidentally, the people of Lydia also invented six-sided dice, which along with their new currency, caused gambling to skyrocket.

The History of Money does an excellent job of describing key developments in the evolution of money from ancient coins, to the evolution of banks during the Crusades, the emergence of paper money, and even the development of electronic currency for business via the Internet.

My single criticism of this work is its first five minutes. The introduction is filled with simplistic remarks such as, "It is hard to imagine a world without money." Some amount of this is necessary to immerse the reader into the topic, but one who chooses to present this film to an audience runs a distinct risk of losing the audience's interest in this time.

Recommended for its descriptive content and excellent visual images combined with its uniqueness and broad scope, this documentary truly gives the audience the history of money. One does not need a detailed background in economics to benefit from this film. I recommend it for any undergraduate library.