War, Food, and Politics in Early Hellenistic Athens [Hardcover]

G. J. Oliver provides a new assessment of the economic history of Athens in the Hellenistic era, when the city was no longer an imperial power and struggled to maintain its territory, both at home in Attica and overseas in the cleruchies. Oliver assesses how political and military change affected the fragile economies of the Athenian polis. Warfare in Attica required the Athenians to protect their domestic grain supply and seek out those beyond the city to provide commodities from abroad. Oliver stresses the economic importance of benefaction and civic honours, and shows how much the citizens of Athens contributed to the defence and finances of their city.

I. Economic vulnerabilities
1. Economic fragilities in fourth-century Athens
2. Piraeus and the Athenian `peraea'
3. People of Attica
II. War in the Athenian polis
4. Warfare and the Athenian countryside
5. The dynamics of defence: infrastructure
6. Defending the polis: command
7. Military manpower
III. Polis economies: finance, food, and friends
8. Saving the polis: civic finances
9. Friends abroad: the economics of benefaction
Conclusion

Oliver gives scholars a book that is impressive in both clarity and erudition. Relying particularily on his mastery of inscriptional evidence, Oliver's sophisticated analysis weaves together aspects of Athens' economic, political, military, and institutional history from 307 to 229 BCE. Historians of the ancient economy or ancient Greek polis shoudl read this book. Oxford University Press deserves credit not only for publishing the book, but also for publishing it right--with good footnotes, eight appendixes, and a fine bibliography. Highly recommended. --CHOICE

G. J. Oliver is Lecturer in Ancient Greek Culture at Liverpool University.