It is a fact that up to the present the economic and social history of the Ottoman Empire has not been dealt with due attention. Some time ago, however, in this bulletin ( see p. 629 ) Dr. Akdağ published a long study on some fundamental problems of that history. As B. Spuler has already remarked in Oriens (vol. 3, 1951, Nr. ı , p. 131) it contains many daring hypotheses often not substantiated, and some interesting but not always reliable observations with reference to material from the archives; and as we shall see, some of the diagrams in it are not quite correct. In many instances, such as in the currency problems of the Empire and her economical position in the world, the essential factors are quite overlooked in favour of accidental factors