Invoices… what do those even mean?
The first time I heard the word, I erroneously thought it had to do with music (silly me). But the question that popped into my head was…
“why was the storekeeper talking about music over the phone with a potential customer?”
So… being the curious child I was (or still am), I went home… got a dictionary… then bam!
It all made sense.
But then, before the era of money, transfers, digital assets, and other stores of value, there were no invoices.
At that time… there was no money too and bartering was the preferred method of trade.
You’d trade a chicken for a bag of grain, or a cow for a new pair of shoes, and so forth. But as societies grew and economies became more complex, a new method of exchange was developed (money) and with it, a new method of keeping track of transactions was needed…
Enter the invoice.
The earliest known invoices date back to ancient Mesopotamia (about 6,000 years ago), where clay tablets were used to record transactions. These tablets were inscribed with cuneiform script and often featured drawings of the goods being traded. It’s like the first known “Itemized Bill” in history.
Fast forward a few thousand years and the invoicing game had changed. The ancient Egyptians (about 4,000 years ago) used papyrus scrolls to record transactions. These scrolls were often adorned with hieroglyphics and drawings of the goods being traded. But despite the fancy decorations, the invoicing process was still a labour-intensive task.
As time went on, invoicing evolved to include more information, such as the names of the buyer and seller, the date of the transaction, and a description of the goods or services provided. The Romans even had a system of tax collecting that required merchants to provide invoices for goods sold.
During the Middle Ages (about 1,800 years ago), invoices were often written on parchment or vellum and were often sealed with wax to prove authenticity. This was the era of “Medieval Invoicing”.
With the age of the industrial revolution came advances in invoicing. The invention of the printing press was a masterstroke, as it was now possible to mass-produce invoices, and the rise of the postal service made it easier to send them. And then, with the invention of the telegraph and the telephone, businesses could now send invoices electronically.
In today’s world, invoicing has been revolutionized by technology. The rise of the internet and the development of invoicing software like Workstedi has made it easier than ever to create invoices, receive payments, and set up a digital bank account.
It doesn’t end there. you can even connect with customers, do business with them, and get reviews and feedback to help you improve.
And now, we live in a world where all your invoicing can be done online… which is a big leap looking at what the ancient Egyptians had at their disposal. With technology advancing with every passing day, who knows what the future holds?
Maybe one day, invoices will be sent directly to our brains via telepathy (don’t think I’ll be a fan of this method though). But before we get to the time of the telepaths, you can use Workstedi to stay ahead.
Join Now to start developing and sending your invoices.
