An Inquiry on the Existence of Capitalism in Ancient Greece
In this article, it is claimed that it is not possible to find a modern capitalist order in Ancient Greece. This claim is supported by the economic activities and historical findings of the ancient period and it is also shaped by reference to the 'primitivist-modernist debate'. In this context, firstly, Mosses I. Finley's primitivist views that claim capitalism cannot be possible in ancient Greece will be explained by taking into consideration the accounting system, commercial activity, social status, labor usages, and land treatments. Secondly, the article will analyze Michael I. Rostovtzeff’s objection to primitivist ideas, and reveal his thoughts by supporting modernist ideas on the existence of capitalism in ancient Greek. Based on these analyses, it is concluded that it is unreasonable to talk about the existence of capitalism in ancient Greece.
- Amemiya, T. (2007). Economy and Economics of Ancient Greece. London: Routledge.
- Aristotle (1944). Politics. (Trans. H. Rackham). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
- Austin M. M. & Vidal-Naquet P. (1981). Economic and Social History of Ancient Greece. California: University of California Press.
- Bücher, K., & Meyer, E. (1979). The Bücher-Meyer Controversy. New York: Arno Press.
- Cameron, R. E. (1993). A Concise Economic History of The World: From Paleolithic Times to the Present. Oxford University Press: USA.
- Finley M. I. (1973). The Ancient Economy. Windus: London.
- Finley, M. I. (1970). Aristotle and Economic Analysis. Past & Present. (47), 3-25.
- Finley, M. I. (1999). The Ancient Economy. California: University of California Press.
- Hammer, J. (1943). Rostovtzeff's “Social and Economic History of the Hellenistic World”. The Journal of Economic History. 3 (1), 70-81.
- Heilbroner R.L. (2008). Capitalism. The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. (Ed. Palgrave Macmillan). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Heilbroner, R. L. (1994). 21st Century Capitalism. WW Norton & Company.
- Hindess, B. (2007). The Battle of the Ancient Economy, Economy and Society. 36 (3), 495-508.
- Hume, D. (1875). The Philosophical works (Vol. 3). Longmans, Green.
- Meikle, S. (1994). Aristotle on Money. Phronesis, 39 (1), 26-44.
- Nilsson, E. (2017) Capitalism: Power, Profits, and Human Flourishing. Web. Date Accessed. October 10, 2018. http://economics.csusb.edu/facultystaff/nilsson/capitalismtext.html.
- Pearce, D. W. (1986). Macmillan Dictionary of Modern Economics. Basingstoke UK: Macmillan.
- Rostovtzeff, M. (1936). The Hellenistic World and its Economic Development. The American Historical Review, 41 (2), 231-252.
- Rostovtzeff, M. I. (1998). The Social & Economic History of the Hellenistic World: Vols. 1-3. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- Scott, B. R. (2014). Capitalism: Its Origins and Evolution as a System of Governance. New York: Springer.
- Valeva, J., Nankov, E., & Graninger, D. (2015). A Companion to Ancient Thrace. New York: John Wiley & Sons.