Readers explore different aspects of Ancient Egypt's economy, including the importance of the sea and how papermaking was an art essential to Egypt's success. Students will gain an understanding of how the culture used money and which trades flourished during this period of history.
In Pottery and Economy in Old Kingdom Egypt, Leslie Anne Warden investigates the economic importance of utilitarian ceramics, particularly beer jars and bread moulds, in third millennium BC Egypt. The Egyptian economy at this period is frequently presented as state-centric or state-defined. This study forwards new methodology for a bottom-up approach to Egyptian economy, analyzing economic relationships through careful analysis of variation within the utilitarian wares which formed the basis of much economic exchange in the period. Beer jars and bread moulds, together with their archaeological, textual, and iconographic contexts, thus yield a framework for the economy which is fluid, agent-based, and defined by small scale, face-to-face relationships rather than the state.
Combining philological investigation and theoretical reasoning, this book offers a completely new interpretation of the economic role of the state in ancient Egypt. The first part provides background outlining the relevance of Keynes General Theory to the ancient Egyptian economy. The central part uses ancient Egyptian texts as the foundation of an analysis of words commonly assumed to relate to taxation during the New Kingdom (c. 15401070 B.C.E.). The conclusions summarize the philological results and explore the role of the temples in the ancient Egyptian state during the New Kingdom. The result places ancient Egyptian taxation and state economic activity in a market context, opening a new path to the understanding of the ancient Egyptian economy based on an analysis of primary sources.
A civilization that relied heavily on the sea and placed great emphasis on the afterlife, students will learn what kinds of items Egyptians traded, and how impressive pyramids and temples were constructed. They will also learn about the art of making paper from papyrus, the perfume industry and much more.
"The Ancient Economy holds pride of place among the handful of genuinely influential works of ancient history. This is Finley at the height of his remarkable powers and in his finest role as historical iconoclast and intellectual provocateur. It should be required reading for every student of pre-modern modes of production, exchange, and consumption."--Josiah Ober, author of Political Dissent in Democratic Athens
"The most comprehensive account of the economy, society, and culture of Hellenistic Egypt available in English."--J.G. Manning, author of Land and Power in Ptolemaic Egypt: The Structure of Land Tenure