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3 - The Archaic Period

from Part I - Diachronic Perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2022

Sitta von Reden
Affiliation:
Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany
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Summary

The Greek world from ca. 750 onwards saw the establishment of wealthy elites, the widespread use of chattel and other slaves, and the occupation of new territories across the Mediterranean, all of which laid the groundwork for later developments. Elite property owners exploited the labour of the free poor, thereby adding to their own surpluses while keeping levels of consumption in the wider community minimal and archaeologically invisible. Only when and where social unrest or outright civil war led to restrictions on exploitation, and when new trading opportunities emerged around 600, did a middling class begin to establish itself, and to create demand for a range of staples that they could not produce themselves. In the late sixth century, the economic and social structure of the classical Greek world took shape, as regional and local specialisation and trade networks reached a level that enabled significant – if unquantifiable – per capita growth. Not all parts of the Greek world shared equally in these developments. Sparta, Crete, and Thessaly retained a polarised social structure of leisured elite and slave workers and continued to aim at agricultural self-sufficiency, institutionalising key features of the old predatory regimes that other Greeks were leaving behind.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • The Archaic Period
  • Edited by Sitta von Reden, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to the Ancient Greek Economy
  • Online publication: 21 July 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108265249.003
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  • The Archaic Period
  • Edited by Sitta von Reden, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to the Ancient Greek Economy
  • Online publication: 21 July 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108265249.003
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Archaic Period
  • Edited by Sitta von Reden, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to the Ancient Greek Economy
  • Online publication: 21 July 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108265249.003
Available formats
×