Commerce and Trade

The city-state of Corinth was situated at an extremely important strategic location. It was nestled in the isthmus that connects northern and southern Greece. Many merchants chose to move their goods through Corinth, rather than sail around the dangerous southern shores of Greece. This caused Corinth to grow very wealthy and made Corinth the biggest exporter in Greek society until the spectacular rise of Athens during the Classical Era.

In the early sixth c. BCE, Solon was elected archon and initiated a series of reformers that were aimed at addressing class conflict and improving the economy. Most importantly, he released all Athenians from debt slavery and restructured the classes according to wealth, rather than status.

Draco was a 7th c. BCE law reformer of Athens, not a tyrant. His claim to fame is his law on homicide that replaced eye-for-an-eye revenge. Cypselus and Periander were tyrants of Corinth. Pittacus was the general of Mytilene. Peisistratus was a sixth c. BCE tyrant of Athens.

The experience of slaves living in ancient Greece varied dramatically. Some might be beloved and valuable members of households, who cared for the children and assisted the family in all manner of ways. Others might work extreme hours in the fields or, worse still, be forced into the backbreaking labor of gold and silver mining. Mining has long been a dirty and dangerous profession, not one that many people would do willingly, and slaves died by the scores to bring gold and silver to the Greek people.

In ancient Greece, an agora was an open space designated for use as a marketplace or as a place where public meetings could be carried out. Agoras were vital for the development of Athenian democracy and the spread of the notion of civic participation in Greek society.

During the Mycenaean Age and the Greek Dark Ages, most of the fighting was carried out by wealthy, elite bands of warriors and noblemen. Beginning in the Archaic Era, however, more and more common people began to form military units. Hoplites and militiamen formed the backbone of most Greek armies by the sixth century BCE. The emergence of these lower class fighting forces is primarily a result of the growing availability and affordability of iron during this time period.

Corinth and Athens both developed flourishing industries around the sale of clay pots during the Archaic Era. These pots were exported widely across the Mediterranean and can be found in large numbers at archaeological sites in Italy, Spain, North Africa, Anatolia, and Egypt. It is not known whether these pots were primarily valued for their appearance or what was perhaps contained inside them (wine, olive oil).