21. The Disappearance of Roman Currency
The Roman monetary system unraveled alongside the empire’s collapse, making coins scarce and unreliable. As currency lost its value, people increasingly turned to barter and direct exchange in their day-to-day transactions. This shift hindered long-distance trade and complicated tax collection, further fragmenting the economy. According to the Journal of Economic History, the disappearance of stable currency marked another step toward localized, subsistence economies.
