158

PRICES IN GREECE.

CHAP. VI.

another there has been a great difference indifferent times and kingdoms. At one periodwheat, at another barley, and at another oatshave been the chief food ; and in the early ages,in thinly peopled countries, the spontaneousfruits, such as chestnuts and acorns, must haveformed a portion of the food.

These considerations are not of sufficient forceto prevent an examination of the increase of theprice of corn in Greece simultaneously with theincrease in quantity of the precious metals. Allthat can be extracted from ancient authors isutterly incompetent to inspire confidence inthe precision or accuracy of the comparison. Itwould be folly to pretend to exactness in a casewhich will merely admit of an approximationto it.

The historians of Greece were too much oc-cupied with the great events of war, or with,to them, their more interesting political dis-cussions and intrigues, to take much notice ofthe prices of the commodities.

“ In the time of Solon (550 years beforeChrist) an ox in Athens cost five drachmas, ornearly three shillings ; a sheep, one drachma, orseven-pence three farthings; and a medium us ofcorn, or one bushel and three gallons, the sameas a sheep: but prices rose gradually to fivetimes, in many cases to ten or twenty times,their former amount, which after the example