Panel 5.5 – Beyond the gift: the economy of archaic "Greek colonisation"


Organiser/Chair:

  • Lieve Donnellan (VU University Amsterdam)

Panel abstract

Interactions between Greeks and native populations were very complex, not only at the cultural but also at the economic level. Systematic studies of these economic interactions and of broader frameworks concerning these questions are, however, still underdeveloped. We propose to focus on how "Greek colonization" changed local economic strategies and affected local societies. What questions do we need to ask to grasp the full complexity of the phenomenon (L. Foxhall)? We also investigate local economic trajectories, for example in the Black Sea (R. Posamentir), where contact with the Greeks stimulated the production of certain goods on an almost industrial scale, but left other aspects of production and consumption remarkably untouched. Colonization and culture contact can also be related with a notable rise in the production of transport amphorae in the Mediterranean. Amphorae for the transportation and storage of agricultural produce became widespread in the Aegean of the 8th century (A. Kotsonas) as well as in the Bay of Naples, and the latter region also saw the installation of a flourishing perfume trade (L. Donnellan). The production of new pottery types, and especially their now perished contents, indicate that, in the Early Iron Age to Archaic period, important transformations of local economies took place. Through this process, once peripheral areas were drawn into overseas networks of production, exchange and consumption, thus creating a new Mediterranean cultural geography. Studies on the institutional side of transforming economies of "Greek colonization" are also underdeveloped, and weight standards are a case in point. The "Chalkidian" colonies of the West developed a shared weight standard of 5.7 grams for coins (P. van Alfen). Whereas the unity created through shared weight systems is clear, local differences also created disunities suggests the impact of local economies and institutions. The case studies convincingly demonstrate that previous studies of the economy of "Greek colonization", in terms of gift giving do not account for the complex changes and non-linear developments towards more formal forms of economic exchange. The modes of economic interaction in the colonial landscapes of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea need to be studied beyond "the gift" and beyond traditional divisions of cultural and economic centers and peripheries.

 

Paper abstracts

1. Lieve Donnellan (VU University Amsterdam)

Beyond the gift: economic development in the Bay of Naples
Amphorae for transportation and storage of surplus agricultural produce are a conspicuous and early development in the Bay of Naples, the latter region which also saw the installation of a flourishing perfume trade. The production of new pottery types, and especially their now perished contents, indicate that, in the Early Iron Age to Archaic period, important transformations of local economies took place - a process in which previously marginally located areas of the Ancient World were drawn into an overseas network of production, exchange and consumption.
Traditionally, however, marginal regions in the Mediterranean and Black Sea are perceived as
having been developed only upon the arrival of Greek colonists, who would have founded
systematic agricultural practices, and installed institutions to negotiate trade, after an initial phase of a gift-giving economy with local populations. Evidence, compelling us to rethink this view, is increasing rapidly.
Interactions between Greeks and native populations were very complex, not only from a cultural point of view, but most certainly also from an economic perspective. Systematic studies on these economic transformations and broader frameworks on how to address these questions are still underdeveloped. We need to focus on how new connectivities changed local economic strategies. The deep impact of human mobilities need to be studied beyond “the gift” and beyond traditional views on cultural and economic centers and peripheries.

 

2. Antonis Kotsonas (University of Cincinnati)

Transport Amphorae and the Economy of Greek Colonization
Economic considerations have loomed large in discussions of the cause(s) of Greek colonization. Traditionally, historians and archaeologists have developed very different perspectives on the subject. Historians typically draw form ancient foundations stories and the substantivist/primitivist approach to Greek economy in emphasizing the significance of land and agricultural resources. Archaeologists overlooked this discussion for long and approached the economy of Greek colonization from an empirical perspective based on concepts like “trade before the flag” and the study of the distribution of fine ware ceramics. Jean-Paul Morel has explained that both approaches have largely missed the importance of transport amphorae for the study of the subject. As containers of agricultural products that were shipped over short to very long distances in the Aegean and the Mediterranean, transport amphorae can bridge the disciplinary divide on the matter and can generate original insights on the economy of Greek colonization. My paper builds on Morel’s work and emphasizes how recent discoveries of early transport amphorae enrich and challenge our understanding of this class of material and of the early Greek economy in general. It also uses the case study of coastal Macedonia for the purpose of demonstrating how these ceramics can revolutionize current ideas on the economy of Greek colonization.

 

3. Richard Posamentir (Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen)

Beyond the gift: Rethinking the economy of Greek archaic `colonisation´ The Black Sea perspective
Our view on the economy of settlements around the shores of the Black Sea is still coined by the idea of intended exploitation of certain economically important resources - such as land, grain, slaves, fish, metals, wood and many more. Even though this view has rightly and for various reasons been challenged within the last years – most of these commodities had major significance from a later time on - it is still widely believed that such kinds of resources played an important and even trigger-like role in this process. Doubtlessly, during the Soviet era local research in archaeology and ancient history focused on economical questions, introducing a politically appropriate view to this discussion. Nevertheless, it is clear that the `colonization process´ in the Black Sea Area was significantly different from those taking place in other areas at the fringes of the Greek world: There seems to be no Bronze Age antecedents unlike in the North Aegean or the West and written sources are much scarce. In fact, Ionian settlers founded dozens of rather small and – with exceptions – not remarkably important daughter cities that never fulfilled certain requirements in terms of representative appearance. In my paper I will try to focus on the question of how exchange of goods worked with people from indigenous sites, additionally I would ask which economic relations might have been of significance in order to integrate the various Black Sea cities in a wider Hellenic network.

 

4. Peter van Alfen (American Numismatic Society)

(Dis)unity in the Archaic Monetary Systems of the Western Chalcidian Apoikiai
Among the earliest producers of coinage on Sicily were the apoikiai of Euboian Chalcis: Himera, Naxos, and Zancle. Beginning at some point around 530 BCE these polities issued coins weighing ca. 5.7 g, which some have taken to be a third of the Euboian stater of ca. 17.3 g. Chalcidian colonies elsewhere, such as in the northern Aegean, did not use this 5.7 g denomination, nor is it known anywhere else except for two other Chalcidian apoikiai in Italy–Cumae and Rhegion–which both produced a series of 5.7 g coins in the late sixth century as well. Not all scholars agree that the 5.7 g denomination is related to the Euboian weight standard. Regardless of the origins of the 5.7 g denomination, the shared use of this unusual denomination among the Chalcidian apoikiai suggests that there was considerable economic cooperation. Even so, deviations from the presumed ideal 5.7 g weight at each of the production centers along with the circulation patterns suggest that there was disunity as well.
In this paper I explore these tensions of (dis)unity within the monetary systems of the western Chalcidian apoikiai. Informed by recent studies of the comparative roles of economics vs politics in the creation of monetary policy, I consider how (dis)unity might have been shaped by decision makers seeking to address the political and economic pressures they faced from both domestic and international quarters.

 

5. Lin Foxhall (University of Liverpool)

Widening horizons: Greek overseas settlement and changing economic behaviours in the western Mediterranean
The impact of Greek settlement on the economies of the indigenous cultures of southern Italy and elsewhere in the Western Mediterranean was considerable. But, investigation of the specific processes and elements of this impact have largely been limited to either broad-brush overviews or isolated case-studies. How did contact with incomers change the economic strategies, practices and activities of indigenous societies, or indeed their internal dynamics more broadly? How can we document these changes systematically, and at a meaningful level of detail which takes account of local and regional variations in intercultural relationships? This paper will explore how we might best address these key questions.