Landscape Change and Trade in Ancient Greece: Evidence from Pollen Data

Abstract In this article we use pollen data from six sites in southern Greece to study long-term vegetation change in this region from 1000 BCE to 600 CE. Based on insights from environmental history, we interpret our estimated trends in the regional presence of cereal, olive and vine pollen as prox...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Economic journal (London) Vol. 130; no. 632; pp. 2596 - 2618
Main Authors Izdebski, Adam, Słoczyński, Tymon, Bonnier, Anton, Koloch, Grzegorz, Kouli, Katerina
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford University Press 01.11.2020
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Summary:Abstract In this article we use pollen data from six sites in southern Greece to study long-term vegetation change in this region from 1000 BCE to 600 CE. Based on insights from environmental history, we interpret our estimated trends in the regional presence of cereal, olive and vine pollen as proxies for structural changes in agricultural production. We present evidence that there was a market economy in ancient Greece and a major trade expansion several centuries before the Roman conquest. Our results are consistent with auxiliary data on settlement dynamics, shipwrecks and ancient oil and wine presses.
ISSN:0013-0133
1468-0297
1468-0297
DOI:10.1093/ej/ueaa026