Economic Structures of Antiquity (Contributions in Economics and Economic History)

288 Pages·1995·15.35 MB·English

by  Morris Silver

Economic Structures
of Antiquity
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Economic Structures
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Morris Silver
Contributions in Economics and Economic History,
Number 159
George Schwab, Series Adviser
Greenwood Press
Westport, Connecticut • London
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Silver, Morris.
Economic structures of antiquity / Morris Silver.
p. cm. — (Contributions in economics and economic history,
ISSN 0084-9235 ; no. 159)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-313-29380-5 (alk. paper)
1. Economic history—To 500. I. Title. II. Series.
HC31.S555 1995
330.9'09'01—dc20 94-17306
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 1995 by Morris Silver
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 94-17306
ISBN: 0-313-29380-5
ISSN: 0084-9235
First published in 1995
Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 21
To my wife Sandy,
who made everything possible
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Author's Notes xiii
Transcriptions and Phonetics xiii
Symbols xv
Abbreviations xv
References xvi
Chronological Table xvii
Introduction xxi
Part I Structural Characteristics of the Ancient Economy 1
1. Gods as Inputs and Outputs of the Ancient Economy 3
A. The Contribution of Gods to Economic Growth 3
B. Syncretism as an Investment in Trust 7
C. Oaths and the Gods 10
D. The Contribution of Temples to Economic Growth 18
E. Contribution of Economic Growth to the Gods: An
Application of Behavioral Economics 34
viii Contents
2. Adaptations of Markets and Hierarchical Relationships to
Transaction Costs 39
A. Symbolic Action and Recitation in the Contractual
Process 39
B. Code of the Merchant: Investment in Name Capital 42
C. An Alternative Interpretation of "Gift Trade" 45
D. Importance of Family Firms 50
E. Family Ties and Innovation 53
F. Women as Businesspersons and Entrepreneurs 54
G. Employment of Slaves and Adoptees 64
H. Size of Firm and Versatility of Firm 66
3. Who Were the Entrepreneurs? The Problem of "Public"
Enterprise 73
4. Commercial Transport, Gains from Trade, Storage, and
Diffusion of New Technology 81
A. Land Transport 82
B. Water Transport 85
C. Storage and Monopoly Power 88
D. Diffusion of Technology 91
Part II Markets in Antiquity: The Challenge of the Evidence 95
5. The Existence of Markets 97
6. The Credibility of Markets 153
Part III The Response to Changes in Economic Incentives
and Public Policy 179
7. New Markets and Land Consolidation 181
A. Sumer 182
B. Archaic Greece 184
C. Babylonia 189
Contents ix
8. Changes in Economic Policy and Organization 195
9. Concluding Remarks 201
Selected Bibliography 205
Index 243