Latest / Ancient Greece: Philosophy, Democracy, and Endless War — Fexingo History
The Athenian Grain Crisis: Starvation in the Age of Pericles
In the shadow of the Parthenon and the triumph of democracy, Athens faced a recurring and deadly vulnerability: it could not feed itself. This episode traces the city's dependence on imported grain from the Black Sea, Egypt, and Sicily, the merchants who risked everything to keep the population fed, and the laws—like the grain-tax and the sitophylakes—that regulated this fragile lifeline. We explore the scandal of the grain hoarders during the Peloponnesian War, the naval battles fought to secure shipping lanes, and the moment in 405 BCE when the Spartan blockade at Aegospotami cut off…
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