The figures cut into the ancient tablets told the archeologist that the city was a trading center that shipped goods to other parts of the world and received goods from those places. The figures were a record of the goods that were sent and the goods that were received and their cost. There were also records that reflected how much the shipper received for the goods that were shipped and how much he received for the goods that were shipped to him. Such records are called accounts. The people who keep those records and determine the loss or profit from such transactions are accountants.
Modern accountants do much the same thing.
Though in the ancient city, the merchant probably was required to submit a portion of his goods, whether grain or wine or pottery, to the king, today we do what amounts to the same thing by paying taxes to the government. Accountants determine how much taxes we should properly pay. Some people and corporations have do so much with money and goods that they require accountants to help them determine their tax burden. Corporations and businesses, large and small, require accountants to do their accounts and track the flow of money which is the lifeline of every business. Thus, accountants are crucial to the economy of the world because they help people at all levels to determine their taxes, their profits and their available resources for doing additional business.