The love of money and its special fascination: It turns correct family men into wild adventurers. Since when have banks existed? How did they come about? Who ran them? What determined their success or failure? The renowned Italian economic historian Carlo M. Cipolla tells extravagant stories from the early history of banking in this volume. Until the 11th century, there was no banking system. Trade was conducted by so-called mercatores, merchants who personally accompanied their goods. They were regarded as homines duri, or tough men, because they exposed themselves to the ever-present dangers of their long journeys and were condemned by the Church for their purely material interests. When these tough men came up with the idea of banding together, the Compagnia was formed in Italy: Banking was born from that.