one of the best essays on the history of accounting can be be found at the website of the association of chartered accountants in the united states.
it begins like this…
unlike most other modern professions, accounting has a history that is usually discussed in terms of one seminal event – the invention and dissemination of the double entry bookkeeping processes. but a view of accounting history that begins with luca pacioli’s contributions overlooks a long evolution of accounting systems in ancient and medieval times.
more fundamental is the question, why should we care about the history of accounting at all? certainly a glimpse back into this period helps illuminate our past generally, and it is the sort of winding, twisted path that makes for an entertaining story. but perhaps the most compelling reason is to help explain the phenomenal growth that the profession of accountancy has enjoyed worldwide since the first royal charters were granted to the society of accountants in edinburgh less than 150 years ago.