Very perceptive and well-thought out comments on your part, Slag. ;-) Thanks for such a thorough response to my response. All of what you say about money (good, bad, and/or neutral) is correct. I like the fact that money is a measure of appreciation. That's one of the good things about it. It is indeed a reflector of the hearts of men and women. Fascinating how plainly it reveals them, when you compare, say, someone like Al Capone to someone like Albert Schweitzer.

You asked: "Why have most armies through the ages worn uniforms?"

Well, the number one reason was so you could quickly identify "friendlies" from "unfriendlies", I would think, specially at a distance! The colorful uniforms worn in classical times by Romans, Greeks, Carthaginians, and such gave way to the equally colorful uniforms worn later in eras such as the Napoleonic era...when it was necessary to identify large formations of men through a telescope, while peering across a field through masses of shifting smoke. And mistakes were often made! One thing that most people are unaware of is that many American Civil War units wore a bewildering variety of colors into combat...the Union wasn't all dressed in blue by any means, and the Confederates weren't all dressed in Gray.

However, the colors of uniforms in different units did often help in quickly identifying friend or foe.

Another reason would have been to establish "uniformity" (which helps build discipline) and a strong sense of shared identity, which helps establish good esprit de corps and fighting spirit.

Another reason would have been to distinguish the military man from the civilian.

Another reason would be to help inspire recruitment. Poor people were offered many enticements for entering military service, and one of those was..."You'll get to wear a good suit of clothes and a fine pair of shoes at no charge." (that, along with free meals, lodging, etc...in return for the risk of getting your head blown off or a bayonet stuck in your guts...).

Those are the reasons that occur to me. Do you have some more to add?