Ancient Greece's Economy
Agriculture
Agriculture was a very important part of the Greeks economy. Some of the core garden items were cabbage, onions, chick peas, beans, lentils and garlic. Orchards included fig, almond, apple and pear trees. Animal husbandry was used as well. Goats and sheep were used for meat, wool and milk. Chickens and geese were used for pork and poultry. Donkeys and mules were used for pack animals. Wood was used for primarily domestic use. Beekeeping provided honey, Greece's only sugar. Bronze was used for weaponry and farm tools.
Crafts
Crafting was an important process. Between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE crafting had become a very important part of the economy.
Pottery
The potters work mainly consisted of molding, painting, baking. Part of the job was to make domestic items such as plates, cups, pots, etc.
Metalworking
Deposits of metal ore were common in ancient Greece. The other ores miners found were gold, silver, iron and copper
Pottery
The potters work mainly consisted of molding, painting, baking. Part of the job was to make domestic items such as plates, cups, pots, etc.
Metalworking
Deposits of metal ore were common in ancient Greece. The other ores miners found were gold, silver, iron and copper
Jobs
Many Greeks were sailors and sailed all over the eastern
Mediterranean. The Greeks had found a way to earn a living from sailing, some of the sailors were fishermen. They ate and sold of their fish. Many other sailors were mercenaries, open for any job. Some Greeks were traders. They bought items at one port and sold them to another port. Some other Greeks were soldiers from the City-State, they fought other City-States and forced them to pay tribute. Many other Greeks were just pirates, they simply raided and would take anything they could get.
Trade
Maritime Trade - The areas of Greece that supplied wheat were Cyrenaica, Egypt, Italy and regions surrounding the black sea. Athens and Corinth were used as waystations of exchange for the isles of the Aegean Sea.
Other imported products included papyrus, spices, fabrics, metals, and shipbuilding materials such as wood, linen, and pitch, also grain was imported. Greek cities exported wine, pottery, and olive oil.
Athens sold marble extracted from Penteli, renowned in the Greek world, and also silver coins, known for their elegant workmanship and high proportion of silver.
Currency
Coins played several roles in ancient Greece.They provided payments for workers. Used to purchase items at the markets. Foreigners had to exchange their currency for the country's currency.