THE GREEK ECONOMY
WHAT ECONOMY MEANT TO THE
GREEKS
The Greeks did not have the same meaning for
economy as we did. In fact it meant “rules of a
house hold” (“eco” meaning house and “nomy”
meaning law.) They did not talk of a government
economy policy but the Greeks still made things,
bought things, sold things and used things, which
is what an economy is.
GREEK JOBS
Some of the jobs that the Greeks had to choose from included:
• Fishermen – Fishermen were able to eat some of the fish that
they caught and sell most of it in the markets.
• Traders – Traders bought things at one port and sold them at
another port, while making some profit along the way.
• Soldiers – Soldiers were forced to pay tribute to their polis and
conquer other city states.
• Head of Household – With the exception of the women from
Sparta, women had no rights and were forbidden to travel
without the permission of their husband. A women’s only
choice of jobs was to take care of her children and house.
TRADE WITHIN GREECE
Trade was a fundamental aspect of the ancient Greek world and
following territorial expansion, an increase in population
movements, and innovations in transport, goods could be bought,
sold and exchanged. Foods, raw materials, and manufactured
goods were not only made available to Greeks for the first time,
but the export of wine, olives, and pottery helped to spread the
Greek culture to the wider world. Most goods that were traded
within Greece were traded between city states. The Greeks traded
for goods such as gold, copper, and ivory that are found far from
their place of production. So, they made an exchange network
between Egypt, Asia Minor, the Greek Mainland, and islands such
as Crete, Cyprus, and the Cyclades.
COINAGE APPEARING IN GREECE
Originally ancient Greece employed a barter system in order to trade goods
and services with city states and this worked well, but the Greeks began to
create coins to promote buying and selling. They continued to trade yet they
started to use coins. There were about 100 different polis’s with many
differences and this was visible in the appearance and value of the coins.
An
Athenian
Coin
A
Corinthian
Coin
BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/economy/
"Kidipede: History for Kids." Ancient Greek Economy. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec.
2013.
http://www.ancient.eu.com/article/115/
"Trade in Ancient Greece." Ancient History Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec.
2013.
http://www.ancient.eu.com/article/41/
"Coinage in Ancient Greece." Ancient History Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 11
Dec. 2013.
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/economy/coins.htm
"Kidipede: History for Kids." Ancient Greek Coins. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec.
2013.