Although the ancient Egyptians did not use coinage until the Late period, they did use a type of money-barter system, with standard sacks of grain and the deben, a weight of roughly  of copper or silver, forming a common denominator. Workers were paid in grain; a simple laborer might earn  sacks (200 kg or 400 lb) of grain per month, while a foreman might earn  sacks (250 kg or 550 lb). Prices were fixed across the country and recorded in lists to facilitate trading; for example a shirt cost five copper deben, while a cow cost 140deben.
Although ancient Egyptians did not use coins until the Late Period, they used a barter system with grain sacks and the deben, a weight of roughly  of copper or silver, as a common currency. Workers were paid in grain; a simple laborer might earn several sacks (200 kg or 400 lb) per month, while a foreman could earn more. Prices were standardized across the country and recorded in lists to facilitate trade. For example, a shirt cost five copper deben, while a cow cost 140 deben.