The Scent of Money — How Trust, Currency, and Universal Belief Shaped Civilization | Chapter 10 from Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
The Scent of Money — How Trust, Currency, and Universal Belief Shaped Civilization | Chapter 10 from Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari What makes money so powerful—and so trusted—that it can unite empires, drive trade across continents, and transform civilizations? In Chapter 10 of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind , Yuval Noah Harari unpacks the fascinating and often paradoxical history of money. Watch the complete chapter summary below and subscribe to Last Minute Lecture for more scholarly, chapter-by-chapter guides! The Invention of Money: Beyond Barter Harari begins with a striking example: the Spanish obsession with Aztec gold. This was not unique—across the world, money has always relied on shared belief. Early barter systems were limited by their complexity and inflexibility. True economic revolutions only began when societies created universal currencies—first as objects of intrinsic value like barley or silver, then as coins and eventually digital money backed by...