How to create a securities portfolio in the Middle Ages
On the occasion of Global Money Week 2024, the Fondazione Istituto Internazionale di Storia Economica "Francesco Datini" from Prato and MUDEM will introduce secondary school students to an engaging financial education game, "The tree of sequins", along with a seminar titled "This too is currency" by Dr. Egidio Cossa, focused on ethnographic finds from before the use of coinage.
Participants in the educational game will construct their own portfolios comprising public debt securities from Florence during the late Middle Ages, a period coinciding with the era of the great merchant of Prato, Francesco Datini. The name of the game alludes to the fictional tree of sequins, which was meant to deceive Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio. This tree, within the collective imagination, serves as a symbol of the intricate and occasionally mysterious aspects of monetary and financial operations.
The initiative is part of the scientific collaboration between the Datini Foundation and the Bank of Italy, which originated with the exhibition "The tree of sequins" (L'albero degli zecchini) conceived and curated by Professor Angela Orlandi from the University of Florence, who will also introduce the event.
For the event programme click here.
