Addressing the dearth of literature that has been written on this key aspect of economic history, Takeshi Amemiya, a well known leading economist based at Stanford University, analyzes the two diametrically opposed views about the exact nature of the ancient Greek economy, putting together a broad and comprehensive survey that is unprecedented in this field.

Partly a piece of economic history, partly a critique of utilitarianism, this book explores all areas of the Athenian economy, including public finance, banking and manufacturing and trade as well as discussing the historical, cultural, political and sociological conditions of Ancient Greece and the background in which the economy developed.

As a teacher of an undergraduate course on the Economy and Economics of Ancient Greece, Takeshi Amemiya has written an incisive text that is perfect for undergraduate students of economic history, Greek history and culture as well as a being a useful reference point for graduates and of considerable interest to classicists at any level.