Banking

And with a great push the heavy door swung inward and we crossed the threshold of the temple. Starting in Assyria and Babylonia around 2000 BC, the concept of money lending (and borrowing) became a driving force behind the economies in which it prospered. And with the accumulation of collective wealth and profits derived therefrom came power (and responsibility) - the effects of which we are, to this day, seeking to balance for the benefit of all involved.