摘要
In contemporary economic thought the up-and downward movements of prices are usually understood as resulting solely,or foremost,from the interplay of offer and demand.Conceding that these factors had a basic impact on price formation already in the monetized economy of Classical Athens,it is contended in this paper that the mechanisms of price formation cannot be explained through economic processes alone.In Classical Athens,as could be expected in an embedded economy,social and political forces as well as strictly economic ones were at work in establishing price levels.The spectrum ranges from political intervention over indirect interference to the influencing of the behavior of market participants through social pressure.Being a matter of existential importance,price formation was a subject of permanent trials of strength between various interest groups or social classes in ancient Athens.
