00:00A world without money would be pretty confusing, but that's the world 5th century Brits lived
00:04in.
00:05When the Romans came to Britain, they transformed its economy by introducing money and coins
00:09to a population that relied almost entirely on bartering to facilitate trade.
00:15But when the Roman Empire collapsed, so did their strong financial system, which caused
00:19coinage to disappear all throughout England.
00:22Money basically disappeared, driving British Isles straight back into a barter economy.
00:27The use of coins as an economic medium was abandoned, and eventually so were public buildings
00:32and town halls.
00:33For the longest time, it seemed there was no evidence money had ever made its way to Britain,
00:39as everyone returned to bartering methods for another few centuries.
00:43That's right, centuries.
00:45Eventually the use of money made a return when the people of Britain needed to pay protection
00:49money to the Vikings to put an end to constant pillaging.
00:53This economic history lesson serves as a reminder that...
Comments