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What do Sumerian tiles from the Neolithic have in common with Bitcoin?

Beyond their monetary parallels, bitcoin and the Sumerian tiles share a history of innovation

But how?

Time for Bitcoin deep dive!

During the neolithic era some 8,000 years ago, human civilization in the Middle East began to proliferate

Agricultural centers started to grow and grow, sustaining increasingly larger populations

The ancient Sumerian city of Uruk grew to become one of the world's largest ever, with a population of several thousand

As the hunter gather way of life evaporated, a new form of governance emerged; a complicated Social hierarchy - an upper class and a working class evolved

Previously, each city or town would have an individual who would count everything, such as taxes and barter trade

Essentially, each town selected a savvy math brain to be a 'walking spreadsheet'

However, the city's own success resulted in the demise of the ability of walking spreadsheets to track everything

Mr. Spreadsheet needed some support to remember all the debts and their form (no standard currency, remember!)

The solution?

A physical reminder to denominate the amount owed

Mr. Spreadsheet issued tokens to depict debts owed, for example, 10 goats or 10 sheep

These 3D tokens eventually became inscribed into tablets, closely resembling written language by today's standards

Today, we'd call these tablets a ledger or a trade log

The Sumerians invented a new form of accounting - single-entry accounting

Now, a physical trace accompanied larger-scale trade and debt balances, enabling society to better scale and coordinate capital

How do these clay tokens relate to Bitcoin?

The clay tokens were the innovation that transitioned a society from a mental form of accounting to a more standardized form of single-entry accounting

Single-entry accounting would remain the only way to track resources until double-entry accounting was invented in Italy some 7,500 years later, ending the era of single-entry accounting and introducing the era of double-entry accounting

Perhaps it is a coincidence, but the invention of double-entry accounting coincided with the start of the Renaissance and intellectual revolution of the West 🤔

Bitcoin famously ushered in a new accounting standard - triple-entry accounting

Single- and double-entry accounting increased scalability and capital coordination but was an imperfect system due to its centralization

Thus, fraud and errors were unfortunate realities

Bitcoin's triple entry account standard enables anyone to safely transact with one another

Invalid transactions are impossible via triple entry accounting and continuous counterfeit monitoring, thus, bitcoin enables greater capital coordination than the eras before it

Previously, society relied on Mr. Spreadsheet, and later centralized banks, to coordinate the movement and custody of capital

The invention of Bitcoin is as significant as the infrequency of accounting standard innovation

That is a wonderful deep dive into the history of accounting—from the Sumerian tiles all the way to Bitcoin's triple-entry era. You've woven a fascinating narrative showing how civilization has repeatedly reinvented methods of tracking wealth and transactions.

However, one crucial historical thread is often left out of these discussions: the significant contributions of the Islamic world—particularly during the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties—to the evolution of commerce, accounting frameworks, and early capitalist practices. Their innovations laid much of the groundwork that would later shape European financial and accounting systems.

Flourishing Innovations Under the Umayyad and Abbasid Dynasties:

The Islamic caliphates, especially between the 7th and 13th centuries, oversaw dynamic trade networks that connected diverse regions—from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe and Central Asia. With trade flourishing, there arose a pressing need for advanced bookkeeping and credit instruments to handle cross-continental commerce in spices, textiles, and precious metals. Some notable aspects include:

- Enhancement of calculation methods (in part thanks to the spread of new numerical systems that simplified large calculations).

- Early forms of credit-based transactions, where trust networks stretched over vast distances.

- Frequent use of sophisticated “promissory notes” or “sakk,” which functioned somewhat like checks and reduced the risks of carrying gold and silver for traders.

Influence on Modern Banking and Capital Coordination:

During the Abbasid period, capital coordination took on new forms, thanks to a mix of religious and pragmatic considerations. For instance, Islamic jurisprudence influenced the way partnerships were structured (mudaraba, for example) and how risk was shared among investors and entrepreneurs. These arrangements often facilitated long-distance trade and encouraged entrepreneurial ventures:

- Financial institutions, sometimes operating within bazaar networks or caravan hubs, provided services that mirror aspects of modern banking.

- New contractual and partnership models helped expand commercial ventures beyond local towns and villages, fostering an early form of a global economy.

Why This Matters in the Broader Accounting Evolution:

While Sumerian single-entry methods and Italian double-entry breakthroughs are rightly celebrated, the period between these two developments was not just a stagnant era. Islamic civilization created and spread multiple key financial practices—providing an intellectual and commercial bridge that preserved ancient knowledge while paving the way for later European innovations. Acknowledging this legacy gives a fuller view of the “chain of accounting milestones” that eventually led to modern systems, including triple-entry accounting with Bitcoin.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on where you see these Islamic-era contributions fitting into the grand timeline you’ve described. If you have any questions—I’m eager to compare notes and learn more about your perspective!

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