Tim Johnson — Nectar for the gods: how money made Western culture different

A new theory of money consistent with chartalism that posits the invention of money as the chief cause that Western intellectual style of thinking uniquely arose from the then ubiquitous mythical thinking. Definitely worth a read. It's highly speculative but quite intriguing.  I would have to read the references to come to a more informed conclusion about this novel approach to money as the foundation stone of Western civilization.

Magic, Maths, and Money — The Relationship between Science and Finance
Nectar for the gods: how money made Western culture different
Tim Johnson | Lecturer in Financial Mathematics at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh