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The economy of ancient Greece was largely defined by the region's dependence on imported goods, with the poor quality of Greece's soil rendering agricultural trade of particular importance. The impact of limited crop production was somewhat offset by Greece's paramount location, as its position in the Mediterranean gave its provinces control over some of the region's most crucial seaports and trade routes. Beginning in the 6th century BC, trade craftsmanship and commerce (principally maritime) became pivotal aspects of Greek economic output. Greece lacked a consolidated, centralized economy in the modern sense of the word. There was a relative absence of contemporary phrases to describe overarching systems of commerce and trade organization, and economics was primarily understood in terms of the localized management of necessary goods.〔http://eh.net/encyclopedia/the-economy-of-ancient-greece/〕 Economist Murray Rothbard, however, notes that ancient Greek philosophers were concerned with questions that would today fall under the discipline of economic theory. ==Agriculture== (詳細はAncient Greek: ''stenokhôría'', ) explains Greek colonialism and the importance of the cleruchies of Asia Minor in controlling the supply of wheat. The olive tree and grapevine were complemented by the cultivation of herbs, vegetables, and oil-producing plants. Husbandry was badly developed due to a lack of available land. Sheep and goats were the most common types of livestock. Woods were heavily exploited, first for domestic use and eventually to build triremes. Bees were kept to produce honey, the only source of sugar known to the ancient Greeks. Since it was so labor-intensive, up to 80% of the Greek population were employed in the agricultural industry. Agricultural work followed the rhythm of the seasons: harvesting olives and trimming grapevines at the beginning of autumn and the end of winter, setting aside fallow land in the spring, and harvesting cereals in the summer, cutting wood, sowing seeds, and harvesting grapes in autumn. In the ancient era, most land was held by the aristocracy. During the 7th century BC, demographic expansion and the distribution of successions created tensions between these landowners and the peasants. In Athens, this was changed by Solon's reforms, which eliminated debt bondage and protected the peasant class. Nonetheless, the Greek aristocrat's domains remained small compared with the Roman ''latifundia''. The Greeks would cut down all their enemies' olive trees to deprive them of olive oil, a practice which highlights the importance that olives held in ancient Greece both as a symbol of wealth and monetary value. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Economy of ancient Greece」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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