Xenophon's Poroi : risk, rationality and enterprise in fourth-century Attica
This thesis is a reassessment of Xenophonâs strategies in the Poroi in the light of recent scholarly studies of the Athenian mining industry, trade, honours and the scholarly debate around the ancient capacity for economically rational decision-making. It argues that Xenophon wrote for a wider audience than the Athenian citizenry alone, and that an interpretation of the Poroi as proposing a beneficent regime in which slaves would live semi-autonomous lives cannot be sustained. Primarily it focuses on three specific strands. Using archaeological, epigraphic and literary evidence, it argues that judgements of Xenophonâs proposals as naĂŻve underestimate the extent to which the heavy supply demands of the Laurion region reached into the lives of many Athenians from the elite to the artisan, and will have informed their reception of his plans with a financial literacy that obviated the need for detail. Using modern analyses of economic risk it explores the extent to which Xenophon acknowledged economic, physical and socially-constructed risks, demonstrating that despite their lack of detailed record-keeping, far from being unsophisticated in their judgement of the economic security of their commercial undertakings,
Powell, Janet
Xenophon's Poroi : risk, rationality and enterprise in fourth-century Attica. This thesis is a reassessment of Xenophonâs strategies in the Poroi in the light of recent scholarly studies of the Athenian mining industry, trade, honours and the scholarly debate around the ancient capacity for economically rational decision-making. It argues that Xenophon wrote for a wider audience than the Athenian citizenry alone, and that an interpretation of the Poroi as proposing a beneficent regime in which slaves would live semi-autonomous lives cannot be sustained. Primarily it focuses on three specific strands. Using archaeological, epigraphic and literary evidence, it argues that judgements of Xenophonâs proposals as naĂŻve underestimate the extent to which the heavy supply demands of the Laurion region reached into the lives of many Athenians from the elite to the artisan, and will have informed their reception of his plans with a financial literacy that obviated the need for detail. Using modern analyses of economic risk it explores the extent to which Xenophon acknowledged economic, physical and socially-constructed risks, demonstrating that despite their lack of detailed record-keeping, far from being unsophisticated in their judgement of the economic security of their commercial undertakings,
xenophon risk rationality enterprise fourth_century attica reassessment xenophon strategies light_recent scholarly study athenian mining_industry trade honour scholarly_debate around ancient capacity economically rational decision_making argues xenophon write wide audience athenian alone interpretation propose beneficent regime slave would live semi_autonomous life sustain primarily_focus specific strand using archaeological_epigraphic literary_evidence argue judgement xenophon proposal underestimate extent heavy supply demand region reach life many athenians elite artisan inform reception plan financial literacy need detail using modern analysis economic risk explores_extent xenophon acknowledge economic physical socially constructed risk demonstrate despite lack detailed record keeping far judgement economic security commercial undertaking