Subject: Re: (urth) Archaic Rome in Soldier
From: Josh Geller 
Date: 15 Jun 2003 20:14:10 -0700

On Sun, 2003-06-15 at 18:30, Andrew Bollen wrote:
> ... I have doubts about the picture of Athens presented in the same 
> little passage. Did merchants really have high status in classical
> Athens? 

It would depend who you were talking to.

> I have a mental picture of a society where the honorable path to
> wealth was through land, and booty taken in wars, 

There was an country party and a city party. Peasants and aristocrats
on the one hand, businessmen and urban laborers on the other. You are
describing the attitude of the country party.

> and where on the nitty-gritty side of things the silver mines were a 
> far more important part of the "GDP" and the war economy, than 
> anything to do with trade & merchandise.

Trade was very important. All of those Greek vases that we find, all 
over the Mediterranean, those were largely packaging for olive oil or
wine or whatever. 

> Maybe I'm wrong, but the Hypereides character doesn't feel right.

Seems fine to me.

J.



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