Accounting in Ancient Times: A Review of Classic References

Abstract

European accounting scholars have made significant contributions to the history of accounting. Some of these contributions were not translated into English and as such were not integrated in the evolving comprehensive coverage of the evolution of the accounting function. The purpose of this research is to review the works of those scholars in the context of the ancient history of civilizations. The research starts with the oldest texts known which are dated to the end of the fourth millennium BC (3200-3100). These were sequences of pictographic signs, which represent the antecedents of the direct cuneiform writing, engraved on clay tablets found in the monumental temple district dell’Eanna of the city of Uruk, in southern Iraq. The content of these textsare of a primarily administrative: lists of goods in and out of rations distributed to employees, etc.. The writing is in response to the demands of an administrative system, developed in a centralized economy with strong redistributive character.It was governed by an elite priesthood, which was formed in southern Mesopotamiaas a resultofthe so-called “urban revolution”. The system of signsengraved on the tablets (about 1200) was already fully formed, and, as such, has no direct antecedents. In a broader sense, however, it represents the end of a long process of developing accounting systems and management of there serves,the beginnings of which date back to Neolithic period and there for eat the time of the first agriculturel villages.This acounting systems prehistoric werw based essentially on two instruments:accounting tokens and theseals. The paper traces the history of accounting verfour thousands years describing, illustrating and analyzing how records were kept and usedand the warious differences betweeen different accounting practices.Special focusismade on the development of accounting under the Egyptian and Roman Empires.The contributions of the european scholars :“-B.sibonu-and Angeli“ F.Melis- and Zuffi“ are high lighted through out the paper.

Keywords

• Accounting in Ancient Times, Greek Accounting