I found this an interesting interview about the history of money and debt.
Check it out.
What is Debt? An Interview with Economic Anthropologist David GraeberDavid Graeber currently holds the position of Reader in Social Anthropology at Goldsmiths University London. Prior to this he was an associate professor of anthropology at Yale University. He is the author of Debt: The First 5,000 Years which is available from Amazon.
Interview conducted by Philip Pilkington, a journalist and writer based in Dublin, Ireland.
Philip Pilkington: Lets begin. Most economists claim that money was invented to replace the barter system. But youve found something quite different, am I correct?
David Graeber: Yes theres a standard story were all taught, a once upon a time its a fairy tale.
Very nice website. Debt was not a system that evolved from the bater exchange but rather a natural system of sense when it comes to transactions. It is like a second nature in us that we would feel a little less when someone owes a thing or money from us. From that psychological state, we adapt by making things equal and fair.