The economy of a nation is usually a function of the manner in which the nation runs and not necessarily the existing rules and regulations under which a nation operates. While discussing the ancient nations and their economies it is difficult not to include the ancient Greece. This is particularly because Greece is regarded as one of the most important and influential civilizations in history notwithstanding the fact that contemporary societies do not seem to recognize this fact. As such, it is important to recollect the past contributions and failures of a nation for the purposes of declaring the historical aspects which are responsible for the present and which inform the future. It is against this backdrop that Greece is fondly regarded as the ‘Cradle of Civilization’.
It is important to understand from the onset that the ancient Greece had profound influence on the western civilization and culture. For instance, thousands of centuries ago, the Greeks founded the core aspects of justice and personal liberties which to date act as the pillars of democracy. Accordingly, certain philosophies which can be traced to ancient Greece such as art, science, and philosophy have become the central foundations of contemporary thought and ideologies. The economy of Greece was at all times steady. The nation of Greece was founded when people migrated from what is referred to as the Balkan Peninsula in various periods from Europe within the 3rd millennium BC. Soon after, the inhabitants become conscious of the fact that they were in a very strategic position which could be a key harbor for the purposes of shipping and general transportation (Bagnall 45). As such, the inhabitants could then benefit considerably if they could introduce the economic ideologies in their midst.
Consequently, the Greeks wanted to attract other empires to their territories. In a bid to pursue this ambition, Greeks began trading cheese and pork from the Sicily region, rugs from Carthage, fragrances from Arabian region, ivory from Ethiopia, as well as wheat and barley from Egypt. In exchange, Greeks would offer the foregoing nations things such as olive oil, olives, pottery, jewelry, wine, and fish. However, during the 7th century, the very first coins that had the currency aspects were established (Ahmad 57). The coins were basically small metal pieces which had weight and their value determined. The little metals had the official seal with the spot of whoever issued the authorization. The designing of the coins was done in Greece and Lydia and were made from an alloy referred to as electrum which was made of silver and gold. This form of money in the ancient Greece society depicted the attitude of the Greeks during that period. This form of currency was perceived in terms of technological, political cultural and economic currency. This was proof that the ancient Greece economy was gaining momentum and soon after it transformed the very course of history henceforth.
There key city-states in ancient Greece were Sparta and Athens. The two cities had very fascinating yet contrasting features. There were some distinct aspects of culture and economy within the two states. The roles that were played by the inhabitants in the Sparta and Athenian city-states in terms of politics, traditions, and other social occurrences were different. As such, the Spartans and Athenians did not share a similar Greek culture. For instance, although the Athenian government was usually regarded as the ‘government of the people’ only about 20 percent of the Athenians practiced active participation in the Athenian democratic activities. On the other hand, in Sparta the political issues were a responsibility to twenty-eight men who were over sixty and who formed what was regarded as the Gerusia. Furthermore, there were two kings who were referred as the Diarchy. It is notable that the responsibilities of the Diarchy were closely associated with the military as well as religious matters.
Further, the economic role played by the woman and men in the Spartan and Athenian societies displayed notable differences. The women in the Spartan society received a demanding psychological and physical training. They also took part in in sporting activities, ran family estates, and also attended public meetings. However, the Athenian culture prohibited the women to participate in every public function. As such, Athenian women were only restricted to their homes and were expected to be submissive to their husbands and they were also took the role of the father figures to their children. The role of women in Sparta and Athens is an example of the contrasting experiences in every sphere of life including economic-wise within the two communities. The Sparta had a healthier economy owing to the fact that every person was whether man or woman took part in the economic activities unlike in Athens where women participation in economic activities was very much restricted by culture.
The Peloponnesian war took place between 431-404 BC. This ancient Greek war was between the Athens and its subsequent empires against the Peloponnesian League which was led by Sparta (Kagan 41). The war was characterized by three distinct phases. The initial phase was the Archidamian war whereby Sparta was involved in repeated attacks of the Attica while Athens used its naval superiority to attack the coast of the Peloponnese thus trying to minimize the incidences of unrest within its territory. The ratification of what was regarded as the Peace of Nicias signified the end of this first round of the Peloponnesian war in 421BC. However due to renewed fighting in Peloponnese the peaceful accord was breached.
Following the breach of the peace accord, Athens sent a massive force to invade Syracuse within the boundaries of Sicily in 415 BC. This mission failed as the entire force was destroyed during 413 BC. Consequently, a new wave of war generally regarded as the Ionian War began. Athens had put aside money and some 100 ships to be used as the final recourse in the war. However the ships were occasionally used in the war. The massive force that invaded Syracuse included the 100 ships and about five-thousand infantry but casually-armored troops. Consequently, the cavalry was had only thirty horses. This cavalry was no match to the well-trained and large Syracuse cavalry.
Sparta received ships and other support including financial support from Persia, and enabled Sparta to provide the necessary support to the uprisings within the main territories of Athens especially in Ionia and the Aegean Sea. This strategy by Sparta undermined the Athenian empire and ultimately weakened the naval supremacy of Athens (Thucydides). The Spartans also engaged in farming activities. The financial support from Persia, farming activities, and other trade practices explain how Sparta had so much money for the Peloponnesian war. The destruction of the Athenian fleet at Aegospotami eventually marked the end of the war as Athens surrendered during the subsequent year.
It is important to note that before the Peloponnesian war, Athens was the strongest city-state with regard to establishing international relations but following its defeat, Sparta reduced Athens to near thorough domination and Sparta assumed the mantle of the leading and most powerful city-state in Greece. The economic cost of the Peloponnesian war was devastating and although experienced throughout Greece, the economy of Athens was totally shattered and it never recovered to its level of prosperity before the war (Isager 135). The war led to subtle changes within the Greek society as the conflicting democratic aspects in Athens against the oligarchic oriented Sparta made the aspect of civil wars a common event within the Greece territories. The Peloponnesian war lasted for a period of twenty-five years.
The war in the ancient Greek was different from war in the contemporary societies. It would seem that the Peloponnesian war was limited to the use of ships, cavalries, and troops. In contemporary societies war is usually fought using a multiplicity of strategies such as propaganda, air strikes, war ships, use of chemical weapons, and well trained and equipped troops. The one aspect that is common with regard to the Peloponnesian war and contemporary war is the fact that friendly nations help each other with logistical support which entails obtaining and distributing of equipment, offering facilities, and providing technical information. This form of support was apparent when Persia offered ships and money to the Spartans.
Work Cited
Ahmad, Iftikhar. World Cultures: A Global Mosaic. Pearson, 1996.
Bagnall, Nigel. The Peloponnesian War: Athens, Sparta, And The Struggle For Greece. New
York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2006.
Isager, Signe and Jens Erik Skydsgaard. Ancient Greek Agriculture: An Introduction. New
York: Routledge, 1995.
Kagan, Donald. The Peloponnesian War. Penguin Books, 2004.
Thucydides. The History of the Peloponnesian War. Trans. By Richard Crawley. May 1, 2009.
Web. 12 Dec. 2013. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/7142/7142-h/7142-h.htm
