While the ancient Greeks acquired hundreds of foreign things, they only exported several produce of their own. They only gave away surplus goods, such as wine, olives, pottery, olive oil, fresh-water fish, and jewelry. This may be mainly due to the fact that Greece could not afford to lose many of the products that it produced.

The ancient Greeks exported their home grown goods to many civilizations in the Mediterranean, Africa, and some parts of Asia. Besides trading with Sicily and Egypt, they also traded with Phoenicia, Persia, Araby, Carthage, Ethiopia, and a people living near the Black Sea named the Scythians. Greece also traded with the colonies around it. They included Thessaly, Macedonia, Corinth, and Sikyon.

The ancient Greek’s trade routes ranged from the westernmost tip of Europe to the Black Sea and Africa. One trade route was developed from the Greek mainland to Asia Minor and it was probably used to obtain goods from Palestine and the Mesopotamia. More well-renowned routes are the pepper route, which ranged from the port of Gordion to India, the cinnamon route, and the Silk Road, which was formed 50 years after Alexander the Great’s death.

These people also had trading ports and trade centers where items could be exchanged. Petra and Gordion were two very important trading posts during the seventh century B.C. Hellespont, a settlement near the legendary city of Troy, was a commercial center which supplied Athens with a south-Russian type of grain. During the 5th century, the seaport Piraeus was constructed and served as a seaport. On the other hand, Olbia supplied corn and other products from the Persian Empire, Naucratis supplied produce from the Egyptians, and Al Mina in Syria provided the Greeks with goods from the Syrians.

But not all the history of Greece was a success story. The periods in which it thrived were very choppy like a roller coaster. For example, trade was extremely successful during the Minoan age, then it slipped into a downward spiral when the Mycenean kings took over. The business recovered but was again overshadowed by the Dark Age of Greece. Finally, with the advent of the eight century B.C., things got on track once more. Those days lasted until 550 B.C. when the Persian Wars intervened. However, Athens managed to heal and, under the leadership of Pericles, entered the Golden Age and regained its thriving trade system. The Golden Age of Athens continued until 431 B.C. That was when the Spartans rose up and overthrew Athens. The Spartan government did not care as much about trade as the Athenians did; so since Sparta was the ruling power of Greece, the business was virtually abandoned. When Philip II and his son, Alexander the Great, conquered Greece, the economy recovered once more.

       

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