Morris Silver：Karl Polanyi and Markets in the Anci

EconomicHistoryAssociationKarlPolanyiandMarketsintheAncientNearEast:TheChallengeoftheEvidenceAuthor(s):MorrisSilverSource:TheJournalofEconomicHistory,Vol.43,No.4(Dec.,1983),pp.795-829Publishedby:CambridgeUniversityPressonbehalfoftheEconomicHistoryAssociationStableURL::19/01/201010:46YouruseoftheJSTORarchiveindicatesyouracceptanceofJSTOR'sTermsandConditionsofUse,availableat://=cup.EachcopyofanypartofaJSTORtransmissionmustcontainthesamecopyrightnoticethatappearsonthescreenorprintedpageofsuchtransmission.JSTORisanot-for-profitservicethathelpsscholars,researchers,andstudentsdiscover,use,andbuilduponawiderangeofcontentinatrusteddigitalarchive.Weuseinformationtechnologyandtoolstoincreaseproductivityandfacilitatenewformsofscholarship.FormoreinformationaboutJSTOR,[e-mail]andEconomicHistoryAssociationarecollaboratingwithJSTORtodigitize,preserveandextendaccesstoTheJournalofEconomicHistory.(Dec.1983).?TheEconomicHistoryAssociation.Allrightsreserved.ISSN0022-0507.TheauthorisProfessorofEconomicsattheCityCollegeoftheCityUniversityofNewYork,NewYorkCity,N.Y.10031.HewishestothankC.J.Eyre,BenjaminFoster,EdwardLipinski,DonaldN.McCloskey,DouglassC.North,PiotrSteinkeller,NormanYoffee,andespeciallyMarvinA.Powellfortheirhelpfulsuggestionsandcomments.ThisresearchwasfacilitatedbyagrantfromafundcreatedbythewillofthelateHarrySchwager,adistinguishedalumnusoftheCityCollegeofNewYork,Classof1911.FinancialsupportwasalsoreceivedfromtheFacultySenateofCityCollege.Intranslationsthebracketsencloserestorationsofthetext,andtheparenthesesencloseadditionsorvariationsintheEnglishtranslation.'DouglassC.North,MarketsandOtherAllocationSystemsinHistory:TheChallengeofKarlPolanyi,JournalofEuropeanEconomicHistory,6(Winter1977),703-16.795796Silveremployeeswhileincreasingmonopolisticormonopsonisticexploita-tion.Similarly,asNorthargues,thetechnologicallevelofancientsocietyprobablyraisedthecostsofdefiningandenforcingpropertyrights.Relianceonstorage,theimportantroleplayedbytemples,andemphasisonprofessionalstandardsandfamilialtiesmightbeunder-stoodasthemajorinstitutionalorstructuraladaptationsinancienteconomiclifetotransactionscosts.But,andhereisthecentralquestionexaminedinthisessay,isNorthcorrectinstatingthattransactionscostswouldhavebeenaninsuperablebarriertoprice-makingmarketsthroughoutmostofhistory?2InhispremisewemaydetecttheinfluenceoftheeconomichistorianKarlPolanyi,whobelievedmarketsbecameimportantonlyintheeighteenthandnineteenthcenturiesofthepresentera.ThisessaychallengesPolanyi'spositionbyconfrontinghisfactualassertionsaboutancientNearEasterneconomieswiththeavailableevidence.3ThegroundrulesforthecontestreflectPolanyi'stwo-prongedstrategy,combiningdirectdenialsoftheexistenceofmarketswithsubsidiaryargumentscastingfurtherdoubtonthem.Assertion1:Indeed,aslateastheopeningoftheseventhcentury,nosignofmarketdevelopmentwasforthcominginGreece.Foratleastathousandyearsbeforethattime,thecontinentalempiresofMesopotamia,AsiaMinor,Syria,andEgyptandtheseafarersofUgaritandCretecarriedonlarge-scaletradewithout...themarketastheregulatorofsupplyanddemand....Theso-calledCappadociantradingcolony...lackedpricemakingmarkets.4Th