Considered as one of the earliest mass forms of coinage, silver currencies of varied shapes and sizes have been used for more than 1000 years.
Among the earliest civilizations to use silver was the Mesopotamian, where payments were often made in terms of silver. Ingots of silver mass were cut into scraps or thin wires or even rings of certain weight. It was considered a symbol of power and wealth to use silver. As there was no production of the metal in the land, it had to be imported, which made it all the more pricey.
Greeks too, are known to have used silver coins as currency. They were manufactured by hammering the metal.
But, soon after the Roman invasion of Greece, minting of coins came to a halt, and Roman coins took over as currency.
The presence of silver coins can be found in almost all civilizations.