Financial Administration

'''Financial Administration '''

Ancient Greece boasted a vibrant economy, fuelled by trading between its poleis. Most city states encouraged trading, notably Corinth, planted as it were on the Isthmus, controlling trade and communications between Attica and the Peloponnese. An exception, however, was Sparta: its leadership regarded trade, and to an extent all foreign affairs, as dangerous and able to unsettle internal affairs.

The Spartan argument regarding Athenian democracy and trade, and by association wealth, was as following: 

“Wealth [is] the prime cause and creator of vice”;

(Gerald of Wales, the Journey Through Wales)

and:

“We’ve got money in plenty, and with it comes care,

<span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN">We always want what is more than our share”

<p style="text-align: center; text-indent: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN">“However great our wealth may wax,

<p style="text-align: center; text-indent: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN">It seems too little, still something lacks.”

<p style="text-align: center; text-indent: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN">(Horace, Satires)

<p style="text-justify: inter-ideograph; text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN">d <span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">emocracy developed from trading cities; <span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN">t <span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">rading brings wealth; therefore, democracy <span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN">cause <span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">s vice. <span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN">

<span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">However, most oligarchies did trade as other poleis and function “normally” in their financial administration. Though arguably Athens prospered on it Attic silver mines, there is not enough justification for Athenian democracy in fact sprung forth from trading