How early Mesopotamian agriculture helped create credit

Waiting for harvests helped create credit

Farmers have to plant long before they can harvest. In early Mesopotamia, this delay helped create a need for credit and records. Temples stored grain, wrote deposits on clay tablets, and issued tokens that people could use to pay fees or debts.

An ancient sailing story contained evidence its author did not understand

Herodotus wrote that Phoenician sailors saw the Sun to their north while sailing around Africa. He found the claim strange, but it is exactly what sailors could see after traveling south of the equator. A detail he doubted became evidence that the voyage may really have happened.

Deadly botulinum toxin can hide in food with no smell or taste

Improperly canned food can contain bacteria that produce botulinum toxin, which can be fatal. The contaminated food may look, smell, and taste normal and may produce no gas. Heating can destroy the toxin itself.

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How early Mesopotamian agriculture helped create credit

Waiting for harvests helped create credit

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