Talk:Economy of ancient Greece

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[edit] Agriculture and Labour Ocupation

Hi. The figure that says that 80% of the working population in ancient greece worked in agriculture is an educated guess, we do not know the real number. Also, the ancient greek civilization was a very urbanized civilization for its time, its rate of urbanization was about the same as of late 18th century england, when about 40% of the labour force was in the agricultural sector. The 80% figure is an educated guess and does not seen to be a realistic one. This is an enciclopedia so unfounded estimates like these should be removed.--RafaelG 22:04, 20 June 2006 (UTC)

Hi Rafael. I have to admit that I don't know much about this subject. I'm simply working on translating this article from the French version (fr:Économie de la Grèce antique). However, its author, Jastrow, seems to have an excellent reputation ([1]) and includes several sources ([2]). If you could find a reputable authority that backs up your claim, either in print or on the web, simply add the information into the article and note the source (preferably like this). If you have any questions, feel free to let me know on my talk page! --Alex S 05:07, 22 June 2006 (UTC)
I do not have any especific estimate for the proportion of the population that worked in agriculture, however I have some quotes like these: "Hence, the figure that is usually given for the Roman world concerning the division of labour of 80 or 90 per cent of the population engaged in agriculture is deceptive in that it plays down the importance of the non-agricultural sectors of the economy."-Paul Erdkamp, The Grain Market in the Roman Empire. --RafaelG 16:14, 22 June 2006 (UTC)
Since we're speaking, of the Greek world, this source is of no use; and also, the fact he admits "usually given" proves that his is a statement going against mainstream history.--Aldux 16:25, 22 June 2006 (UTC)
Hey, Alex, thanks for the vote of confidence, but I am by no means a specialist of Ancient Greece :-) I was educated as a modern historian. Besides, the French article as it is shows a rather basic view of Ancient Greek economy and will be refined later.
Raphael, my source here is Leopold Migeotte, who states "as is the case of every rural, low-mechanized societies, [agriculture] needed a large workforce, especially during harvest, and employed a vast majority of the population—probably at least 80%" (L'économie des cités grecques, my translation). I understand this is subject to debate, so maybe it would be best to write something as "a large part of the population" and add a footnote about Migeotte's opinion and other estimates if you have some. Jastrow 17:34, 22 June 2006 (UTC)