ASPASIA
Greetings, wanderer, and welcome to the port
of Piraeus.
ASPASIA
My name is Aspasia.
Though I am not originally from Athens, I
have climbed to the top of its social ladder
using only my wit and intellect.
ASPASIA
I've even earned the love of Perikles, one
of the most powerful men in the city.
ASPASIA
The mind truly is a beautiful thing.
ASPASIA
Piraeus is one of the busiest, most important
ports in the Greek World.
ASPASIA
Money flows through here like a river.
A river that runs all the way to Athens.
ASPASIA
Acting as a port for Athens, Piraeus welcomed
merchants, goods, and travelers from all over
the world.
ASPASIA
It was a central part of Athens's economy,
but it was also fortified enough to protect
the city's considerable fleet.
ASPASIA
When you finish exploring the port, find me,
and we will talk further.
NARRATOR
Piraeus, a peninsula southwest of Athens,
became the city's main port after the politician
Themistokles encouraged the development of
its natural harbors.
NARRATOR
These developments led to the gradual abandonment
of the older harbor of Phaleron.
NARRATOR
Piraeus's fortifications were further developed
by Kimon and Perikles, along with the Long
Walls which ensured goods could still be moved
during sieges.
NARRATOR
Piraeus was divided into three main sectors:
the military port, the emporion [[international
market]], and the residential area.
NARRATOR
By the 5th century BCE, it had become not
only Athens's naval headquarters, but also
the mercantile center of the Mediterranean.
NARRATOR
Piraeus's development during the 5th century
BCE attracted a large population.
NARRATOR
Many craftsmen, merchants, bankers, sailors,
and ship-owners moved to the port in great
numbers.
NARRATOR
The population was a mix of Greek citizens,
foreign visitors, and immigrants known as
metics.
NARRATOR
The variety of the port's inhabitants gave
Piraeus a cosmopolitan atmosphere.
NARRATOR
Most of the residents were involved in trade,
but others worked on ship building, or in
larger scale industries like shield factories.
NARRATOR
Piraeus's commercial focus offered many opportunities
for those seeking to increase their wealth
and status.
NARRATOR
One such "rags to riches" tale is that of
Pasion, a slave who eventually became a citizen
and earned a fortune thanks to his bank and
his shield factory.
NARRATOR
Piraeus was a deme, or district, of Attika.
NARRATOR
Because of its size, function, and varied
population, it had a much more complicated
administrative structure than other demes.
NARRATOR
Above all, Piraeus was closely monitored and
controlled by the Athenian assembly, due to
its importance to the city.
NARRATOR
Within the port, there were two separate categories
of trade: international trade, which took
place in the emporion, -
NARRATOR
- and retail trade, which was managed by kapeloi
[[merchants]] in Piraeus's agora.
NARRATOR
The emporion was a commercial port dedicated
to trading goods from overseas.
NARRATOR
All international transactions were required
to be made within its limits, and needed to
be exclusively wholesale.
NARRATOR
Elected magistrates managed all business and
laws in the port.
NARRATOR
Meanwhile, port authorities known as epimeletes
oversaw trade and took care of the regulation
of prices.
NARRATOR
This was an especially crucial duty, as the
amount of supplies and goods could fluctuate
wildly based on factors like bad harvests
or lost cargo.
NARRATOR
Common products sold in the emporion included
vegetables, fruits, fish, leather, timber,
marble, metal, weapons, and ceramics.
NARRATOR
According to Hermippos, Athens was also wealthy
enough to afford the finest goods from all
over the world, -
NARRATOR
-including figs from Rhodes, almonds from
Thasos, oil from Samos, and wine from Chios.
NARRATOR
Taxes were collected on all merchandise that
came into the emporion, which provided Athens
with a major source of income.
NARRATOR
After arriving in the emporion, merchants
set up samples of their goods in a display
area called the Deigma.
NARRATOR
This was where citizens and foreigners gathered
to officially make their deals, -
NARRATOR
- and almost all merchandise that came into
the emporion was traded within the area.
NARRATOR
The Deigma was under constant supervision
by magistrates, who negotiated price control
with the importers.
NARRATOR
They would occasionally give special privileges
to those who agreed to sell at lower prices.
NARRATOR
These privileges ranged from tax exemptions,
to specially reserved seating in the theater.
NARRATOR
Piraeus was a deme, and as such was supervised
by a magistrate called the demarchos.
NARRATOR
While most demarchoi were chosen locally within
their deme, Piraeus's was appointed directly
by Athens, so the city could better monitor
its commercial interests.
NARRATOR
In fact, matters regarding the emporion, the
military harbor, and the grain trade were
regularly debated and decided by the Athenian
assembly.
NARRATOR
Transactions within the Piraeus were supervised
by metronomoi.
NARRATOR
These were magistrates responsible for keeping
track of weights and measures.
NARRATOR
They made sure merchants' measurements were
always accurate to prevent bad deals and scams.
NARRATOR
Even though Piraeus would eventually develop
into a city in its own right, it always remained
under the control of Athens.
NARRATOR
A commercial tax of 2 percent, or a pentekoste,
was placed on all cargo entering and leaving
Piraeus.
NARRATOR
The tax was collected by a group of five people
called pentekostologoi.
NARRATOR
According to Andocides, this position could
be bought for the hefty sum of thirty talents,
or 180,000 drachmae.
NARRATOR
However, most of these officials made a profit
of up to six talents, making the job very
lucrative.
NARRATOR
While merchants were responsible for setting
the value of their goods, pentekostologoi
had the power to challenge the value if they
saw fit.
NARRATOR
Furthermore, merchants were required to register
with these officials before they could transport,
display, and sell their goods.
NARRATOR
Overall, this system provided Piraeus - and
by extension, Athens - with a tremendous amount
of money.
The sale of grain was overseen by special magistrates
called sitophylakes.
NARRATOR
Since some Greek cities had a grain deficiency
and relied heavily on imports, these officials
were extremely important.
NARRATOR
Their duties encompassed all aspects of grain
commerce, including price control and profit
margins, to ensure Athens remained well-fed.
NARRATOR
This is no surprise; grain was so important
to Athens that two-thirds of all stocks were
required to be transported and sold at the
city's agora by law.
NARRATOR
According to Demosthenes, the significance
of the sitophylakes was such that they if
they failed in their duties, they faced the
death penalty.
NARRATOR
The emporion operated on a foundation of credit
and loans.
NARRATOR
Overseas commerce was handled by two types
of tradespeople.
NARRATOR
Emporoi transported cargo in borrowed ships,
while naukleroi were ship-owners who moved
goods on their own vessels.
NARRATOR
Elsewhere in the emporion were bankers and
accountants who arranged loans and kept track
of incoming and outgoing ships.
NARRATOR
Emporoi and naukleroi financed their maritime
voyages with these loans, which often had
a high interest rate due to the dangers of
sea travel.
NARRATOR
Emporoi used the loans to pay for both the
cargo and the right to a ship, while naukleroi
only had to pay for their crew.
NARRATOR
Loans and interest were repaid upon a ship's
return to port.
NARRATOR
However, in the event of a catastrophe such
as a shipwreck, the merchant and ship-owner
were released from their obligations, and
the losses were transferred to the lender.
ASPASIA
You've returned!
I hope you enjoyed your stroll through the
port.
ASPASIA
Piraeus was important to Athens's commercial
interests, but it eventually came into its
own as a vibrant and bustling port.
ASPASIA
If you have any questions, don't hesitate
to ask.
ASPASIA
If you say so.
Let us see what you've learned, wanderer.
ASPASIA
First, a simple question.
ASPASIA
Which Athenian politician originally encouraged
the development of Piraeus's natural harbors?
ASPASIA
Perikles did contribute to the port's development,
but he was building off someone else's ideas.
ASPASIA
Try again.
ASPASIA
By the time Alkibiades was born, Piraeus was
already a thriving port.
ASPASIA
Keep trying.
ASPASIA
Which Athenian politician originally encouraged
the development of Piraeus's natural harbors?
ASPASIA
Leonidas was a Spartan king, not an Athenian
politician.
Try another answer.
ASPASIA
Correct!
Themistokles saw Piraeus's potential as a
port, and encouraged its development.
ASPASIA
On to the next question...
ASPASIA
What did the sitophylakes supervise?
ASPASIA
It was metronomoi who were in charge of Piraeus's
weights and measures.
Try again.
ASPASIA
No, the aptly named pentekostologoi collected
the pentekoste tax.
Try another answer.
ASPASIA
Loans were handled by the port's bankers and
accountants.
Keep trying.
ASPASIA
Yes!
Sitophylakes had the extremely important responsibility
of handling all matters related to grain commerce.
ASPASIA
Only one question left.
ASPASIA
What was the name of the slave who took advantage
of Piraeus's opportunities to earn themselves
citizenship?
ASPASIA
Perseus was a legendary gorgon-slaying hero,
not a slave.
Try again.
ASPASIA
Prometheus was the mythological figure who
gave fire to mankind.
I don't think he had much interest in business
opportunities.
ASPASIA
Try another answer.
ASPASIA
You're very funny.
Keep trying.
ASPASIA
Correct!
Pasion managed to earn a fortune and achieve
citizenship thanks to both his bank and a
successful shield business.
ASPASIA
Your knowledge of Piraeus is impressive.
Well done, wanderer.
ASPASIA
As you wish.
Thank you for visiting.
