Have you ever wondered how money started? The first kinds of money didn't look anything like what we use for money now. This paper will look at how money moved from stuff to the bills and coins we use now. I will include a kind of timeline to show what money was used when. Before there was money, there was bartering. Bartering is the thing you do when you trade something for something else. Some people think that animals and plants do it! (That is not true!!!) Some people still do bartering, even in America! One time, Mommy traded Miss Pam, her hairdresser, piano lessons for her daughter in exchange for getting her hair done. 9,000--6,00 BC: Cattle After bartering, there was Cattle, which is anything from cows, to sheep, to camels, are the first and oldest form of money. It is almost bartering, but it is not. After a while, people started using fruits and vegetables, too. 1,200 BC: Cowrie shells After cattle, there were Cowrie shells. A Cowrie shell is a small clam shell. It was first used in China. Many countries have used cowries as money, and even as recently as the middle of (the twentieth) century. Cowries have also been used in some parts of Africa. The Cowrie is the most widely and longest used money in history. 1,000 BC: First Metal Money