The Ancient Economy"Technical progress, economic growth, productivity, even efficiency have not been significant goals since the beginning of time," declares M. I. Finley in his classic work. The states of the ancient Mediterranean world had no recognizable real-property market, never fought a commercially inspired war, witnessed no drive to capital formation, and assigned the management of many substantial enterprises to slaves and ex-slaves. In short, to study the economies of the ancient world, one must begin by discarding many premises that seemed self-evident before Finley showed that they were useless or misleading. Available again, with a new foreword by Ian Morris, these sagacious, fertile, and occasionally combative essays are just as electrifying today as when Finley first wrote them. |
Contents
Foreword to Updated Edition by Ian Morris | ix |
Preface | 9 |
The Ancients and Their Economy | 17 |
Orders and Status | 35 |
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Common terms and phrases
activity agricultural analysis ancient economy ancient history ancient world Antioch antiquity argued argument Aristotle army Athenian Brunt Caesar Cambridge centre chap Cicero citizens city of Rome city-state Classical Antiquity classical Athens coins concept discussion drachmas Duncan-Jones Economic History Economy and Society Egypt estates evidence example exploitation export farm Finley Finley's fourth century B.C. freedmen Garnsey Gaul grain Greece Greek Greek and Roman Hellenistic helots historians imperial important income interest Italy La Graufesenque land landowners latifundia Lezoux loans London manufacture Max Weber metics military modern moneylending normally Oxford Paris peasant period Pliny Polanyi political poor population profits provinces Republic Roman emperors Roman Empire römischen Rostovtzeff Rougé scale second century B.C. senators sense sesterces slave labour slavery social status Strabo structure Studies tenants third century Thucydides tion trade Trimalchio urban Veyne wealth Weber Xenophon