Lilian Loh

HIPP Article Analysis The Economy of Ancient Greece

Link to Article: http://eh.net/encyclopedia/the-economy-of-ancient-greece/

Historical Context:
N/A (this article is a secondary source)

Intended Audience:
The source was created for an encyclopedia, and those who are interested in the history of
Greece. The fact that the source was created for an encyclopedia and directed towards people
who have an interest in history suggests that the source is reliable.

Purpose:
This source was produced long after the existence of Greek civilization because ancient
documents and evidence take time to find. Knowing this, the meaning of the source is not as
intricate because it is given from a secondhand perspective. The author gained the information
from reading primary sources and other various documents.

Point of View:
The authors point of view is largely third person, but also shifts to first person plural. The point
the source is trying to convey is the fact that the Greek economy is debatable due to the various
interpretations from the evidence historians have collected. The author is male, and an associate
professor of history. By using a third person point of view, he is considered to be very reliable
because he is analyzing and referencing to sources. Also, he is not being biased because he is not
using first person, so he is not making any claims or opinions.

SUMMARY:
In the early years of Greek civilization, Greece was comprised of hundreds of small,
independent city-states, called polis. However, as Greece moved into the Hellenistic period, it
became comprised of large kingdoms due to the extensive territorial gain by Alexander the
Great. Evidence of ancient Greek economy include literary works, poems, pottery, and other
various forms of archaeological evidence. However, all of these sources are not reliable due to
the fact that it could be biased, inaccurate, or controversial. Due to the fact that the evidence
could be interpreted in a number of ways, one cannot concretely assert a claim, which is why the
Ancient Greek economy remains debatable.
The most widely accepted proposal for the Greek economy was the Finley model. It
stated that the ancient Greek economy was smaller compared to economies today, and differed
in quality. They did not think that the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and
services were part of an economy even though they participated in long-distance trade. Most

people in the Ancient Greek society did not find the ideas of manufacturing, business, and trade
to be interesting. The economy was solely based off of supply and demand. If anyone needed a
certain item, someone would just go get it for trade or buy it from another individual. The
majority of local trade was done by sending goods to city markets. In contrast, long-distance
trade was done by travelling on ships across the ocean, which took a long time.
During the Archaic period, the government were not actively involved in economic
matters because the population started off very small. However, as time went on, the population
increased, and the desire for land increased as well. As more land was obtained, agriculture was
carried on a subsistence level in areas with mild climate and fertile soil. To note, Greeks were
not dependent on agriculture because of unpredictable rainfall and poor soil quality.
Additionally, natural resources were a significant aspect in Ancient Greece. Metals were an
important resource of Greece because they used bronze and iron to make tools and weapons.
These metals had to be imported from areas outside of Greece. Stone was also another natural
resource of Greece, and was used to construct elegant buildings. Slavery was common in Ancient
Greece as most slaves helped manufactured products.