古典时代雅典私人钱庄与海上贸易融资

Private Banks in Athens and the Financing of the Maritime Trade in Classical Antiquity

私人钱庄是公元前4世纪雅典海上贸易资金的主要提供者之一。与个人投资者相比,私人钱庄具有资金充沛、规避风险能力强、信贷经验丰富的优势。经营海事贷款时,钱商首先需招揽客户将游资存入钱庄,专用于海事贷款投资;然后招雇精于海事活动的专业人员为代理人,为其提供资金,并由其负责相关业务。虽然公元前4世纪雅典私人钱庄的组织方式与现代银行颇有差异,但对其经营海事贷款的考察表明,私人钱庄的信贷活动具有较高水平和一定程度的复杂性,在城邦和个人的经济生活中发挥着重要作用。

Private banks were important in the financing of the maritime trade of Athens in the 4th B.C.Compared with individual investors,they were more abundant in reserves,adroit in risk avoidance,and experienced in loan granting.In practice,banks firstly attracted merchants to deposit their idle funds.They then recruited expert navigators as agents,who were financed by them to take charge of related duties.Although organizations of these primitive banks and their present descendants varied greatly,research indicates that private banks at that time were professional lenders who performed complicated economic activities and an important role in the economic life of the city-state and individuals.