Economic Growth in Ancient Greece

Morris, Ian

doi:10.1628/0932456042776050

Cited by 180 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…93 Ian Morris has argued that a beneficial combination of institutions and belief systems that fostered a strong tradition of citizenship, promoted (male) egalitarianism, curtailed taxation, and protected property rights all contributed to this development. 94 Even so, we cannot be sure to what extent the reported wages-which tend to be associated with public building programs-were representative of wage levels in the private labor market. At the same time, the suspicion that the reported wages were somehow atypical-that is, significantly higher than "usual"-is not actually supported by anything in the record.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Real Wages in Early Economies: Evidence for Living Standards from 1800 BCE to 1300 CE

Scheidel¹

2010

J Econ Soc Hist Orient

144

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Price and wage data from Roman Egypt in the first three centuries CE indicate levels of real income for unskilled workers that are comparable to those implied by price and wage data in Diocletian's price edict of 301 CE and to those documented in different parts of Europe and Asia in the eighteenth or early nineteenth centuries. In all these cases, consumption was largely limited to goods that were essential for survival and living standards must have been very modest. A survey of daily wages expressed in terms of wheat in different Afroeurasian societies from 1800 BCE to 1300 CE yields similar results: with a few exceptions, the real incomes of unskilled laborers tended to be very low.Dans l'Égypte romaine des trois premiers siècles après J.-C., les données disponibles sur les prix et les salaires suggèrent que les revenus réels de la main-d'oeuvre non qualifiée étaient comparables à celles de l'édit de Dioclétien sur les prix, en 301 apr. J.-C., ainsi qu'aux données relatives à plusieurs régions d'Europe et d'Asie au XVIII e ou au début du XIX e siècle. Dans tous ces cas, la consommation se limitait le plus souvent aux produits de première nécessité et les niveaux de vie devaient être très modestes. Une enquête consacrée aux rémunérations journalières, exprimées en blé, dans plusieurs sociétés afro-eurasiennes de 1800 av. J.-C. à 1300 apr. J.-C., aboutit à des résultats similaires : à quelques exceptions près, les revenus réels des travailleurs non qualifiés étaient généralement très bas. , and several anonymous referees for valuable comments and bibliographical support. I also benefited from feedback provided by Stanford graduate students at a workshop organized by Joseph Manning and Josiah Ober in April 2008. This 426 W. Scheidel / JESHO 53 (2010)

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Real Wages in Early Economies: Evidence for Living Standards from 1800 BCE to 1300 CE

Scheidel¹

2010

J Econ Soc Hist Orient

144

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“…economic growth caught up and living standards increased considerably. Archaeological findings suggest that by archaic times standards of living in the Greek world were comparable to those in the Middle East, but much more evenly distributed (Morris 2004: 729, 734). As a result of the increase in population densities the early city-states began to grow; a natural result of their growth being increasing territorial conflicts with neighbouring cities.…”

Section: Warfare In the World Of Homermentioning

confidence: 98%

The egalitarian battlefield: Reflections on the origins of majority rule in archaic Greece

Pitsoulis

2011

European Journal of Political Economy

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We explore the emergence of formal majoritarian voting institutions in archaic Greece from a historical and conflict-theoretic perspective. Judging from original sources we first conclude that the formal majority rule entered Greek collective decision-making in the seventh century B.C. In this time a ritualized form of hoplite warfare was adopted in Greece. By help of a conflict model we show that under the conditions of hoplite warfare numerical superiority must have been the decisive factor for the outcome of battles. Under these circumstances fighting and majority votes are analogous. Based on this result and pointing out to historical similarities between archaic Greece and medieval Switzerland we formulate a hypothesis of how majority decisions may have spontaneously emerged from conflict. D 70, D 74 JEL Classification

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“…Being a land rich in agricultural potential, Sicilian grain was traded in the Aegean and other parts of the Mediterranean since the time of Classical Greece (Austin & Vidal-Naquet 1977, Basile 1941, De Angelis 2000, Morris 2004, Stika, Heiss, & Zach 2008. With references to the use of signal fires being common in the stories of the ancient Greeks (Tracy 1986), it is not surprising that vague references to such fires on Sicily seem to go back to the Greek colonization of the island (Maurici 1985, Ortisi & Rizza 1995.…”

Section: Early Attempts At Coastal and State-sponsored Defensesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sicilian Castles and Coastal Towers

Kirk

2017

Open Archaeology

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While much attention has been paid to the development of castles as the hallmark architectural symbol of the Middle Ages, less attention has been given to the changes in European defensive strategies that occurred between the 15 th and 17 th centuries. It was at this time when the modern nations of Europe began to take form, as sea-based trade between distant nations took precedence over land-based trade routes. This paper examines how this transformation manifested in the defensive structures of Sicily, Italy, where the hilltop castles of the Middle Ages gradually gave way to a more cohesive network of coastal towers around the island. Putting this transition in its historical context, presenting an anthropological model from which to view this transition, and using geospatial methods to track these changes, the results of this study indicate that as defensive towers began to dominate the Sicilian coast around the 16 th century, their command over the environment was no greater than that of the feudal castles which were still in use. Yet, unlike the castles of feudal lords, these towers represented an island-wide system of defense and the beginning of an adherence to a more centralized power structure then seen previously.

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Economic Growth in Ancient Greece

Cited by 180 publications

References 29 publications

Real Wages in Early Economies: Evidence for Living Standards from 1800 BCE to 1300 CE

Real Wages in Early Economies: Evidence for Living Standards from 1800 BCE to 1300 CE

The egalitarian battlefield: Reflections on the origins of majority rule in archaic Greece

Sicilian Castles and Coastal Towers

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