BARTER NETWORKS

Now, let’s begin at roughly 50,000 BC where the first economic activity is evident with barter networks -- 

 
I trade you this saber skin for that trinket of sea shells. 

However, it’s not 
until 10,000 BC 
when we see the first truly significant event in economic history,the domestication of plants and animals. For the first time in human history, people were tied to land. Economies with tradable goods began to develop.


Another significant development during this Neolithic Revolution was one of the
most extreme examples of the desire to receive for the self alone-- slavery. 

Prior to this period of history, specifically with hunter/gatherer cultures, there was no
economic advantage to "owning" another person. 


While the concept of slavery is repugnant to most human beings today (I say "most" because it is estimated that 30 million people worldwide are still enslaved today), the fact is that slavery was
commonplace among many societies around the globe throughout history.