Oil, Wine, and the Cultural Economy of Ancient Greece

Oil, Wine, and the Cultural Economy of Ancient Greece
From the Bronze Age to the Archaic Era

In this book, Catherine E. Pratt explores how oil and wine became increasingly entangled in Greek culture, from the Late Bronze Age to the Archaic period. Using ceramic, architectural, and archaeobotanical data, she argues that Bronze Age exchange practices initiated a strong network of dependency between oil and wine production, and the people who produced, exchanged, and used them. After the palatial collapse, these prehistoric connections intensified during the Iron Age and evolved into the large-scale industries of the Classical period. Pratt argues that oil and wine in pre-Classical Greece should be considered 'cultural commodities', products that become indispensable for proper social and economic exchanges well beyond economic advantage. Offering a detailed diachronic account of the changing roles of surplus oil and wine in the economies of pre-classical Greek societies, her book contributes to a broader understanding of the complex interconnections between agriculture, commerce, and culture in the ancient Mediterranean.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Developing a Relationship of Dependency: Oil and Wine in the Minoan Palatial Era
3. Controlling the Relationship: Oil and Wine in the Mycenaean Palatial Era
4. Maintaining the Relationship: Oil and Wine in Postpalatial Greece
5. Rebuilding the Relationship: Oil and Wine in Early Iron Age Greece
6. Expanding the Relationship: Oil and Wine in the Early Archaic Period
7. Conclusion: Cultural Commodities and the Future of Oil and Wine.