The financial crisis of 2008 aroused widespread interest in banking and financial history. In an attempt to better understand the magnitude of the shock, there was a demand for historical parallels. This volume provides the material for such a reflection by presenting the state of the art in...

Primitive and Non-metallic Money -- Monetary System of Ancient Asia: China -- Monetary System of the Ancient Regime -- Medieval Debasement and Seigniorage -- Gresham's Law -- Flows of Precious Metals and Prices in Europe -- Rise and Decline of the Global Silver Standard -- Money, Trade, and...