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This "primitivist" view of the Athenian economy originated as a healthy reaction to the naive presumption of some nineteenth century historians that Athenian business was conducted along the lines of contemporary industry and has subsequently gained many adherents 5.
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Furthermore, it is clear that the one object of the merchant is to be able to retire from commerce as soon as he possibly can" 4. The commercial classes had to depend entirely upon borrowed funds for carrying on their business.
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If he did happen to own a workshop staffed by slaves, he lacked the ambition to expand his business and left its conduct to them \ As for the distribution of the products of field and factory, "Those who owned capital did not take part in commerce. The "prevailing mentality" among Athenian citizens, "was but not productive" ! the Athenian was a rentier, not an entrepreneur, who seldom borrowed to buy or improve land or to finance the manufacture of goods2.