Trade+&+Economy

=Trade and Economy= - by Jay Deshpande

Ancient Greece and Ancient India both had a multitude of trade networks that helped them aspire to be great civilizations. When compared one will find many similarities and differences between the economies of Ancient India and Ancient Greece.

=Topics= - Ancient India economy toc - Ancient Greece economy - Similarities - Differences - Closing - Bibliography =Ancient India Economy= Ancient India's economy mostly relied on agriculture and fine arts. Many different types of grains were able to grow in Ancient India. Wheat, millet, and rice were the major grains grown in Ancient India. Due to its mild climate grains were able to grow abundantly in Ancient India. Along with agriculture being a major industry in Ancient India's economy, art was also a major industry. Craftsmen created beautiful tapestries, pottery, and paintings and sold them in the marketplace. Also craftsmen made tools to aid in agriculture. To aid in growing of food many tools including plows, shovels, and hoes were made by craftsmen, these tools made farming easier and the supply of food was bountiful. Ancient India was able to grow into a great civilization due its strong and diverse economy.



=Ancient Greece Economy=  Ancient Greece's economy was very diverse and mostly consisted of agriculture, hunting and craftsmen. Food grown in Ancient Greece included, grains, fruit and vegetables. Bread was a big staple in Ancient Greece and the wheat used to make it was grown in abundance.Fruit such as olives, lemons, dates and pomegranates supplied the people with an assortment of vitamins, this kept them healthy. Vegetables suchas lettuce, eggplant, and peas/beans were bountiful in Ancient Greece.As well as agriculture being important in Ancient Greece, hunting was too. Animals that were commonly hunted in Ancient Greece were rabbits, hairs, wild boars and seals. These animals supplied food, hide and oils. Craftsmen were considered very important in Ancient Greece. They would make sculptures, vessels, tools, and decorations. Sculptures would represent gods or other important people andtools aided with agriculture. Vessels could hold grains or wine and keep them fresh for extended periods of time. All of these industries contributed to Ancient Greece’s economy and ultimately the civilization.

=Similarities=  There are many similarities in Ancient India and Ancient Greece's economy. Both Ancient India and Ancient Greece needed agriculture to survive. The abundance of food for Ancient India and Ancient Greece allowed their civilizations to expand, population wise and in academics. Both Ancient India and Ancient Greece were very ingenious and had craftsmen make tools to help with agriculture. These tools made for quicker harvesting and planting of crops which allowed for more food too be grown in a smaller period of time. Both civilizations were rich in culture, trade and in academics. These factors helped make Ancient India and Ancient Greece two of the largest civilizations known to man.

=Differences=

Along with their being many similarities between Ancient India and Ancient Greece's economies, there were also many differences. The farming in Ancient India was much easier than in ancient Greece due to better soil. In Ancient Greece the soil was very rocky which meant that people would have to remove the rocks before planting crops. This means that the farmers in Ancient India were able to produce more crops in less time than farmers in Ancient Greece. Due to the crops being very plentiful in Ancient India the diet was very centered around grains and vegetables. Whereas in Ancient Greece the diet was mostly centered around meat and crops that grow well in rocky soil, such as olives. Craftsmen were more valued in Ancient Greece than in Ancient India. The craftsmen in Ancient India mostly made decorations and some tools while the Craftsmen in Ancient Greece made tools, decorations, clothing and also jewelry. Differences between civilizations are what make them unique. Without diversity all culture, trade, language and other ideals would all be the same. Diversity is what makes civilizations interesting and it’s what makes some last longer than others.

=In Closing =  Both Ancient India and Ancient Greece had many contributing factors that helped them have great economies. Ancient India's economy was mostly based on farming and fine arts. Ancient Greece's economy was based on farming, hunting, and Manual labor. Ancient India and Ancient Greece had many similar values as well as different values, in their economies. These values are what defines a civilization and can determine if the civilization will last or not.

= Bibliography =

 Cultural India, 2011, Cultural India, May 12-14 2011,  hrafts/index.html

Haywood, John, Work, Trade and Farming, New York, Lorenz Books, 2001, Whole Book

Kidipede, Dr. Karen Carr, May 12-14, 2011  []

Macdonald, Fiona, How Would You Survive as an Ancient Greek?, New York, Franklin Watts, 1996, Whole Book

Rutland, Jonathan, An Ancient Greek Town, New York, Warwick Press, 1986, Whole Book