15 January 2026
9 am PT / 5 pm GMT / 10.30 pm IST
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This is a free, virtual lecture.
What did money mean in Ancient Egypt, and what might it tell us about our own cashless age?
Drawing on written evidence from papyrus contracts, sealed documents and recorded payments, Ghislaine Lydon (professor of history at UCLA) revisits the common claim that Egypt relied mainly on barter. She explores how people measured value, settled debts, and moved funds without carrying heavy metal, using written orders and trusted intermediaries. Tracing echoes of these practices across later African and Mediterranean trade, Lydon invites a fresh look at Egypt’s place in world economic history: What can Ancient Egypt teach us about how economies work?
Fact or Value 