In the medieval world, or should we say in the Mesopotamia period, precisely in 9000 BCE, temple heads were used to keep records of food, cattle, and other donations by writing them on damp clay tablets. These tablets were stored in storage rooms and were required when the village/temple heads used to audit at specific intervals. A few centuries into industrialization, temples became head of villages, and paper & ink replaced clay tablets. Read more at :- https://wefindthebiz.com/blog/TheUpsDownsOfQuickenAndHowItSurvivedTheMarket