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Initially I had the idea to write a paper “Money, its introduction and role in early Civilizations.” It turns out that this subject is more a topic for a five hundred page thesis than a six page paper. Much material is available on early coins, their use and development. What is more difficult to determine is what people did before the introduction of coins. I found the source of information not as available and detail if not conflicting diverse. To give an example Ian Angus in his book Fell’s Guide To Coins and Money of the World writes “From the Latin word pecus, meaning a herd, we get the adjective pecuniary. (1) In Money : A History, edited by Jonathan Williams it says “ Later writers thought that the earliest form of money in Rome had been sheep and cattle, as they derived the Latin word for “money”, pecunia, from the word for “cattle”, pecus. (39) Jack Weatherford in his book The History of Money writes “ The word pecuniary , which means “related to money,” is derived from the Latin pecuniarius, meaning “ wealth in cattle.” He continues “ The “as”, a Roman coin, represented a value equivalent to one-hundredth of a cow.” (21) Angus though writes, “After Aes signatum came Aes grave (heav