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Was it the State that vouched for the money, or was it money that vouched for the State? On the Lydians vs. the Abbasids: 
"...the sekka, the right of the ruler to have his name inscribed on coins, and the ḵoṭba, his right to have his name mentioned in the sermon at the congregational worship service on Friday, were the two formal prerogatives of sovereignty....."
Tired: when the money vouches for your head of state
Wired: when the money vouches for your prophet
Constantinople vs. Caliph Abd'Al-Malik in the coin wars:
Wired: when the money vouches for your prophet
Constantinople vs. Caliph Abd'Al-Malik in the coin wars:
The coinage of the Lydians is, thanks to Herodotus, often cited as the first recorded instance of fiat money.
Less frequently mentioned: how Cyrus the Great repelled the Lydian's "pre-emptive" attack and sacrificed their king as a burnt offering to the ancient Persian gods. 😬
Less frequently mentioned: how Cyrus the Great repelled the Lydian's "pre-emptive" attack and sacrificed their king as a burnt offering to the ancient Persian gods. 😬
Just remembered the Persians burnt the inventor of fiat coinage alive *and* ripped the Mongols who tried to impose paper notes on them to shreds (see quoted tweet):
Current mood: اییییییی دشمن ار تو سنگ خارهای من آهنم, جان من فدای خاک پاک میهناااااام
Current mood: اییییییی دشمن ار تو سنگ خارهای من آهنم, جان من فدای خاک پاک میهناااااام
