The Sumerians invented money. It was barley, used as currency for all commercial transactions. The most common measure was the Sila, equivalent to about a liter of barley, contained in standard-sized earthenware containers. Five centuries later, the first coin was minted in Mesopotamia, actually an 8.33-gram piece of silver, thus the first money with no intrinsic value (barley can be eaten, but silver cannot).
