8500 - 560 BC
Birth of metal coins
520 BC - 1474
Minting of the first Athenian owls
Major monetary crisis during the 2nd Punic War
Coins bearing the image of Julius Caesar
Creation of the solidus by Constantine
Economic development of the Muslim empire, in particular Bagdad
Development of large trading empires in Africa, South of the Sahara
1474 - 1740
Implementation of the mercantilist doctrine in several European countries
Spain starts extracting silver from the mines in Potosi
1740 - 1945
Creation, in France, of the franc Germinal
In the United Kingdom, strict link between note-issuance and gold stocks
The California Gold Rush
Creation of the Latin Monetary Union between France and several European countries
Birth of the German mark
Scandinavian Monetary Union
Monetary instability in the United States leading up to the gold standard
Necessity money during World War I in France
Setting up of the Gold Exchange Standard
The franc germinal is replaced by the franc Poincaré in France
The Bretton Woods agreements and the GATT
1945 to the present
End of the gold-dollar standard and switch to a floating exchange rate system
