ABOUT THIS BOOK

Coinage appeared at a moment when it fulfilled an essential need in Greek society and brought with it rationalization and social leveling in some respects, while simultaneously producing new illusions, paradoxes, and new elites. In a book that will encourage scholarly discussion for some time, David M. Schaps addresses a range of important coinage topics, among them money, exchange, and economic organization in the Near East and in Greece before the introduction of coinage; the invention of coinage and the reasons for its adoption; and the developing use of money to make more money.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

David M. Schaps is Professor of Classics at Bar-Ilan University in Israel.

REVIEWS

"The book has a comprehensive index, a copious bibliography and...a sense of humour. It is well worth buying for a classical library."
--Classics for All

— Christopher Tanfield, Classics for All

Winner: Israel Numismatic Society (INS) 2010 Arie Kindler Prize

— INS Arie Kindler Prize

"This book is a magisterial and pioneering treatment of a subject of seminal importance. Schaps's erudition is impressive—but leavened by a pleasant style and tone. In my opinion, the volume will generate interest among a wide audience, and should stimulate (and expedite) further research among specialists."
—Edward Cohen, University of Pennsylvania

— Edward Cohen, University of Pennsylvania

"Schaps provides intriguing food for thought for both ancient historians and modern economists. He argues that money existed before coinage, but that the invention of coinage reduced the costs of transactions enough to revolutionize life in ancient times, making monetization in ancient Greek society a crucial turning point in world history."
—Peter Temin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

— Peter Temin, MIT

"In this absorbing book David Schaps demonstrates that the Greeks were the first people in history to make widespread use of coinage, and so to have the concept of money, and that this relatively unappreciated fact is vital for understanding Greek society of the archaic and classical periods. This long overdue case is made by David Schaps with enormous intelligence and charm."
—Richard Seaford, University of Exeter

— Richard Seaford, University of Exeter

TABLE OF CONTENTS






List of Figures xiii 
Abbreviations xv
1. The Revolutionary Invention 1 
2. Questions and Controversies 18
3. Money before Coinage The Ancient Near East 34
4. Greece before Money The Bronze Age 57
5. Homer
Tripods and Oxen 63
6. The Archaic Age
Cauldrons, Spits, and Silver  80
7. The First Coins 93
8. Money and the Market ill
9. The Monetization of Politics  124
10. War by Other Means 138




11. The Monetization of Labor  150
12. Money on the Farm 163
13. Using Money to Make Money 175
14. Monetization
Limits and Illusions 194
APPENDIXES
1. The Economist and the Historian 215
2. Pre-Greek Coinage 222
3. Prices in Solon's Day 236
4. Unproductive Loans and Unproductive People 241
Bibliography  247
Index 273

REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE

If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you with an electronic file for alternative access.

Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.

It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.