Bronze Age Market Economies Discovered in Europe

Researchers from Germany and Italy discovered evidence of market economies in Bronze Age Europe, approximately 3500 years ago. They analyzed over 20,000 metal artifacts from 1000 tombs across Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, and Germany. These items, dating from 2300 BC to 800 BC, exhibited patterns reminiscent of contemporary spending habits.

The team observed that metal pieces were frequently broken into weights of about 10 grams, indicating their use as currency. This practice began around 1500 BC. Through the examination of the weights and distribution of these metal pieces, the researchers determined that a market economy, governed by supply and demand, was operational.

This discovery challenges the notion that market economies only emerged with the advent of modern states and coinage. It instead implies that market systems have been integral to human behavior for a considerably longer period, similar to war and marriage.

The findings, published in Nature Human Behaviour, surprised the researchers. They propose that the distinctions between what are termed "primitive" and "modern" cultures may be less pronounced than previously believed.