Money

About three thousand years ago, there were no shops. If you needed something you had to make it yourself. For example, if you needed something to wear, you had to kill an animal and get its coat. If you were a good hunter, and had a lot of coats, you could exchange them for other things you needed. You could get meat, fruit or an are. This way of exchanging things is called barter.
Later on, people began to use money. They made money from thing which would last and not go bad easily. They used stones, shells and animals' teeth. After men had discovered metal into small bars to use copper, tin, silver and gold. They made these metals into small bars so that they were easy to store and carry about. Before there were banks, people kept their money themselves. Most people hid their money in the ground. They thought that it was the safest place to store money.

About five hundred years later, people began to make coins. They were easier to carry than metal bars. Early coins were not flat and round but were in lumps. Usually the king or ruler of a place gave the order to make coins. Therefore, people often put a picture of his head and his name on one side of the coin. This side of the coin is called the head. Then they put the date and value of the coin on the other side. This side is called the tail.
The first paper money was made by the Chinese. In the fifteenth century, the first banks appeared in Italy. Today the banks look after our money in a number of ways.