Schurtz, Heinrich, 1863-1903

Heinrich Schurtz (born 11 December 1863 in Zwickau; died 2 May 1903 in Bremen) was a German ethnologist and cultural historian. A prolific writer and museum curator, his 1902 work Altersklassen und Männerbünde is still cited today for its groundbreaking emphasis on the central role of associations in the social organization of non-European peoples. He is also known for his pioneering analyses of money, exchange, and the cultural foundations of economic life. His 1898 treatise, Grundriss einer Entstehungsgeschichte des Geldes (An Outline of the Origins of Money) was a foundational text for economic historians, anthropologists, and philosophers exploring the origins and functions of money, influencing figures such as Georg Simmel, Max Weber, Marcel Mauss, and Karl Polanyi.