Chapter Seven. The Exporters Of Grain

Abstract

The main grain-exporting areas in the archaic and classical periods are found in the periphery of the Greek world, in the Black Sea, Egypt and the west. This chapter describes the possibility of imports in the archaic period. Grain was, and still is, one of the principal crops of the Black Sea, since the climate and rainfall, especially in the north and west coasts are well suited to cereal cultivation. Pontic wheat was not only lighter than the products of other exporters, but also of local producers in Greece, Asia Minor and the Aegean. Reduction of dues provides a powerful incentive to traders, offsetting the natural disadvantages of Bosporan grain and makes it competitive in the market. The largest exporter of grain in the southern Mediterranean in the classical period was Egypt. The main grain producers in the western Greek world were Sicily and Magna Graecia.Keywords: archaic period; Bosporan grain; grain exports; Greek world; pontic wheat