Naukratis: Trade in Archaic Greece (Oxford Monographs on Classical Archaeology) - Hardcover

Moller, Astrid

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0198152841 ISBN 13: 9780198152842

Publisher: OUP Oxford, 2000

Synopsis

Archaic Naukratis was a busy trading place in the Western Delta of the Nile, renowned for its sanctuaries and courtesans, granting the Greeks access to Egyptian grain and luxury items. Now, more than one hundred years after the discovery and excavation of Naukratis, the author offers the first full-length analysis of the archaeology and archaic history of this important site.

Although Naukratis always features in modern accounts of ancient Greek colonization, it was not a place where the Greeks could freely establish their own political and social organization - it was under the strict control of the Egyptian pharaoh and his officials. To understand the special status of Naukratis, the author takes the port of trade model, surveying the political, social, and economic background of both Late Period Egypt and archaic Greece.

A major section of the book comprises an archaeological re-evaluation of the topography of archaic Naukratis and its material finds. The sanctuaries, archaic pottery styles, terracottas, faiences, statuettes, and other small finds are examined in the light of recent scholarship, and an in-depth study of the literary evidence is brought to bear on the archaeological material.

This book comprises a significant contribution to our understanding of Graeco-Egyptian relations during the seventh and sixth centuries BC and also demonstrates that Polanyian economic theory can play an invaluable rôle in the ongoing debate about the concepts best employed to analyse the ancient Greek economy.

About this title

Product Description:

Naukratis This book comprises a significant contribution to our understanding of Graeco-Egyptian relations during the 7th and 6th centuries BC and also demonstrates that Polanyian economic theory can play an invaluable role in the ongoing debate about the concepts best employed to analyse the ancient Greek economy.

Review:

... a thorough, reliable overview of this crucial site and its archaeology that will serve both as an accessible handbook and a basis for future research. It is to be particularly warmly welcomed as a well-argued, clear and convincing evaluation of the role played by Naukratis in the Archaic Mediterranean and as an illuminating analysis of a 'port of trade' and emporion at the intersection of the Greek and Egyptian economies. (Ancient West & East)

Möller's concise and critical overview will certainly be an indispensable starting point for any future research on the topic. (Ancient West & East)

Möller's book is the first comprehensive look at the early history of Naukratis. (Ancient West & East)

Without question this is now the touchstone from which all subsequent work on Naukratis must begin. I can add that Möller's discussion of Naukratis as an Idealtypus of the port of trade will also be an enduring contribution, as much to archaeology as to economic history. (EH.NET Reviews)

Möller's work immediately takes its position as the starting point for all further work on Naukratis; it will also prove a good starting place for any future work on trade during the Archaic Period. (EH.NET Reviews)

About this edition

• Publisher: OUP Oxford
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0198152841
• ISBN 13: 9780198152842
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 321