Currencies of the Steppe
Tracing the high-risk, high-reward economics of 14th-century trade through a merchant's personal accounting scroll.
This fragmentary scroll, written in a blend of Persian and Sogdian, provides a rare glimpse into the accounting practices of a Silk Road merchant guild. The ledger tracks the exchange of Chinese silk for Baltic amber and Frankish swords, revealing a sophisticated system of credit that predates modern banking. The description highlights the 'Risk Assessment' notes found in the scroll—warnings about specific mountain passes controlled by bandit lords and the fluctuating value of salt in the markets of Samarkand. Physically, the scroll is made of mulberry paper, showing heavy wear at the edges where it was rolled and unrolled countless times by flickering campfires. It is a vital record of humanity's first global economy, where ideas were traded as frequently as spices.