Despite the poor soil in Athens
Despite the poor soil in Athens, agriculture was the main activity for the majority of the population, who cultivated wine, olive oil, cereals, honey and practiced livestock farming. In handicrafts, they produced ceramics, objects and were involved in metallurgy to manufacture weapons, in addition to shipbuilding. Located on the Attica Peninsula and close to the port of Piraeus, Athens prospered from trade along the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Initially based on direct exchange, trade gradually adopted the use of currency (drachma), facilitated by the silver mines in Athens that allowed coinage to be minted.
Athens emerged as the most powerful city in the Greek world due to its prosperous economy commercial, maritime and monetary, developing a robust naval and commercial fleet. The agora, a public space that functioned as the city's economic, social and political center, housed the market where currency was widely used... Did you know?