Sumerians Invented Banking Through Temple Prostitution Token System for Sex

What was said

"This is where money comes from. The token had an image of grain and the goddess on it. The token wasn't meant to buy things. It was just, this is what we're getting. This token meant you get one free ride with the mistress upstairs. This was a holy, sacred event. That's the currency of trade. This is why money, sex, power. That's the first documented case of actual exchange of money, token, of coinage."

Dr. Lynn explained that the first documented monetary exchange system originated in Sumerian temple prostitution, where farmers received tokens for grain taxes that could be redeemed for sex with temple priestesses. The priestesses were believed to become possessed by gods during intercourse, making it a religious communion rather than mere transaction. This system established the foundational connection between money, sex, and power that persists in modern financial systems.