|
|
Art
of writing--(as old as civilization) since bookkeeping is first
of all a record.. |
|
|
Arithmetic--
(did not exist in the ancient world) since the mechanical aspect of
bookkeeping
consists of a sequence of simple computations. |
|
|
Private
Property-- since bookkeeping is concerned only with recording
the
facts about property and property rights... |
|
|
Money
(money-based economy)--since bookkeeping is unnecessary except as it
reduces
all transactions in property or property rights to this common
denominator... |
|
|
Credit
(incompleted transactions)--since there would be little impulse to make
any record whatever if all exchanges were completed on the spot... |
|
|
Commerce--since
a merely local trade would never have created enough pressure (volume
of
business) to stimulate the coordination of diverse ideas into a
system--lack
of extensive commerce may be the main reason why the ancient world did
not produce a complete system of bookkeeping. |
|
|
Capital--
since without capital commerce would be trivial and credit would be
inconceivable. |
