Latest / Trade Routes That Changed Human History Forever — Fexingo History
The Silk Road's Secret Currency: Silk Bolts as Money
Long before paper money, merchants on the Silk Road used bolts of silk as a universally accepted currency. This episode traces how silk functioned as money from Han dynasty China through the Abbasid caliphate, backed by state monopolies and official workshops. We explore the practical challenges of silk currency—counterfeiting, degradation, and the logistics of carrying vast lengths of fabric across deserts. Lucas and Luna discuss the 8th-century crisis when an oversupply of silk in Chang'an caused inflation, and the famous 9th-century hoard of silk discovered at Dandan Uiliq in the…
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