71–80 of 124 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's where the term "salary" came from, if I'm not mistaken. Roman thing?
Also, the phrase "worth their salt". It's funny how sometimes these things are hidden in plain sight. I bet the average person would expect a more complex etymology for that phrase.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_finance
In particular, the Sulpicii of Puteoli left some records of what look like modern banking practices:
https://www.world-archaeology.com/books/bankers-of-puteoli-t...
> "Much of the business of the Sulpicii consisted of short term loans, of amounts ranging from £1,000 to £20,000 and for periods of up to a month – for the sake of simplicity, I am reckoning a sesterce as being the equivalent of £1. A number of loans took place at auction sales – for these were a large part of the activity of a Roman forum – a Roman forum must have been very much like e-Bay. A banking house would manage the auction and supply immediate payment to the vendor, but would allow the purchaser several days to pay; if more time was needed, this could be provided at a cost."
Quoted post unavailable.
Too bad so few popular and reliable records exist, as I would be really interested in what their leverage ratio was for loans to deposits, what calendar they used to synchronize everywhere in the world (presumably astronomical), whether the Templars picked it up by learning and adapting Islamic Hawala during the crusades, what the Medicis did differently (covered a bit in Fergusson's The Ascent of Money). The necessa…
> whether the Templars picked it up by learning and adapting Islamic Hawala during the crusades
If you ever come to London I would highly recommend a visit to that area[1]. take the district line to "Temple" and walk into temple court. This is a set of interconnecting pretty courtyards surrounded by buildings used as offices for lawyers working at the nearby high court. These courtyards have a feel similar to an Oxford/Cambridge college and have been used as settings for "Harry Potter" and other films (to give…
https://www.middletemple.org.uk/about-us/freedom-information...
The practical consequences are extremely minor - but the Inner and Middle temples can give themselves planning permission, and issue themselves alcohol licenses!
Not so much the first bank, but the first PayPal.
I can't wait for "Assassin's Creed: Excel" to really capture the spirit of this.
for now, you can play Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_Sword:_The_Shadow_of_th...
scroll down a little
Too bad so few popular and reliable records exist, as I would be really interested in what their leverage ratio was for loans to deposits, what calendar they used to synchronize everywhere in the world (presumably astronomical), whether the Templars picked it up by learning and adapting Islamic Hawala during the crusades, what the Medicis did differently (covered a bit in Fergusson's The Ascent of Money). The necessa…
> whether the Templars picked it up by learning and adapting Islamic Hawala during the crusades Doubtful. Money lenders/changers existed long before Islam (something about Jesus flipping their tables over in the Temple), and Hawala from my understanding is a flat commission based service (not interest based), since usury is forbidden.