The Ledger of Cristianus Lomellinus and Dominicus De Garibaldo, Stewards of the City of Genoa (1340–41)

The cartularies of the Commune of Genoa of 1340–1466 provide evidence of the use of double‐entry bookkeeping long before it was described by Pacioli. The cartularies are of particular interest because they relate to a commune, and had been prescribed in regulations dating from 1327. In the ledgers of the massaria , the two sections of the accounts are divided laterally, erasures were forbidden, and all pages were pre‐numbered. There is also evidence suggesting that these techniques were adopted from the methods used by the banks at that time. The importance of these early methods of bookkeeping and financial control has not previously been recognized.