Léopold Migeotte – författare

This introduction to the Ancient Greek economy has proved popular in France, and has also been translated into Italian and Greek; this first English edition is of the second French edition of 2007. Migeotte tries to avoid getting bogged down in the theoretical debates which have characterised the last half-century of research on the ancient economy, instead providing a survey first of institutions and frameworks (the polis in particular) and then of the different sectors of the economy (agriculture, crafts, trade), he goes back to the primary sources and archaeology, allowing the reader to form their own impressions, as well as setting out his own more nuanced ideas. Above all he emphasises the diversity of the Ancient Greek economy and the co-existence of traits which appear both primitive and proto-capitalist.

The Economy of the Greek Cities offers readers a clear and concise overview of ancient Greek economies from the archaic to the Roman period. Léopold Migeotte approaches Greek economic activities from the perspective of the ancient sources, situating them within the context of the city-state (polis). He illuminates the ways citizens intervened in the economy and considers such important sectors as agriculture, craft industries, public works, and trade. Focusing on how the private and public spheres impinged on each other, this book provides a broad understanding of the political and economic changes affecting life in the Greek city-states over a thousand-year period.