Experiencing Interruptions?

EXMYSTIKA the Discovery of Stone Age Money

The historian Pierre Dietz traces a line of trade in the Stone Age that reaches far back before the introduction of metal coins and the emergence of markets as we know them today. Starting from an unusual body of evidence, the film reopens the question of the origin of money. A material long overlooked places the exchange of goods via so-called excusing tokens in a different epoch of human history. If his hypothesis proves correct, the handling of money is innate to humankind. The film is a journey from the digital future back into the depths of the Stone Age.

  • Pierre Dietz
    Director
  • Pierre Dietz
    Writer
  • Pierre Dietz
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Short
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 49 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 25, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    400 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Language:
    English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Pierre Dietz

FILMOGRAFIE PIERRE DIETZ

EXMYSTIKA Short Dokus
The Breath of the Three Maidens, 2026
From Warrior to Fairy Tale Aunt, 2026
The True Source of the Danubius, 2026
The Discovery of Camelot Castle, 2025
The Legend of the Griffin, 2025
Das Labyrinth von Knossos, 2025
Julian II. – Der vergessene Kaiser, 2025
Der Christus aus dem Jahre Null, 2025
Der erste Tempel Salomon, 2025
Die erste Götterschlacht, 2025
Die Tafelrunde des Uther, 2025
Rechenmaschinen der Antike, 2025
Die Buchstaben der Kelten, 2025
Die Entdeckung der Gralsburg, 2024
Die Landebahnen von Carnac, 2024

Movies
Der Tempel Salomons und die Dschinn, 2023
Briefe aus der Deportation, 2012

Businessfilms
The New ELDORADO, 2018, for Merck
Cosmic Crump, 2014, for Accompany
Clan Quest, 2010, for Accompany
Axolotl, 2010, for Accompany
Die Brennstoffzelle, 2000 for Adam Opel AG
Aktive Kopfstütze, 1999 for Adam Opel AG

Shortfilms
Sonnenschutzfaktor, 2005
Snowball, 2004
Die Raupe, die im Apfel sass..., 2004
Als die Bilder laufen lernten, 2002
Wecke den schlafenden Weihnachtsmann, 2000
Der Faustkeil, 2000

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

EXMYSTIKA The Discovery of Stone Age Money approaches the origin of money not as an abstract system, but as a material practice rooted in human behaviour.

The film follows a line of evidence that suggests exchange did not begin with coins or markets, but with the need to record, balance, and justify the transfer of goods. Objects that appear simple or insignificant may have served as early instruments of trust.

Rather than presenting a closed theory, the film deliberately leaves space for interpretation. It brings together archaeological findings, historical fragments, and observational reasoning to question established narratives about trade and value.

My intention is not to replace one certainty with another, but to expose the fragile foundations on which our understanding of money is built.

If these early forms of exchange are reconsidered, the history of trade may not only be older than assumed, but fundamentally different in nature.