The Oldest Payslip in the World Found in Mesopotamia

It is probably not surprising to learn that one of the oldest writings discovered from ancient times relates to two main human concerns: work and alcohol! According to the New Scientist website, archaeologists say that five thousand years ago, workers living in the city of Uruk (250 kilometers south of Baghdad) were paid in beer instead of wages. An inscription on a stone tablet, which features cuneiform writing, specifies the amount of wages required (actually the beer paid) for certain specific tasks. Archaeologists believe that this tablet is the oldest human payslip ever found. It appears that the concept of paying wages in exchange for specific work was prevalent in human societies five thousand years ago. This stone tablet is housed in the British Museum in London. However, although this tablet may be the oldest payslip, it is not the first time that workers have been paid 'alcoholic' wages. According to Science Alert, this practice was also common during the construction of the Egyptian pyramids, where each worker received 4 to 5 liters of beer per day. Although Ian Hodder, an anthropologist at Stanford University, believes that while the 'ration' for each worker is specified based on beer, humans at that time often lived in groups. They were not landowners but worked together, and the products were shared among the tribe. Therefore, the concept of wages as we know it today was not prevalent at that time. Hodder states: 'In my opinion, they viewed work as part of daily activities: like cooking, religious practices, and parties, which were significant parts of their lives.' It seems that the system of payment for specific work emerged later with the increased sedentism of humans and the production of surplus goods for consumption by a group or tribe.