An Inquiry on the Existence of Capitalism in Ancient Greece

In this article, it is claimed that it is not possible to find a modern capitalist order in Ancient Greece. This claim is supported by the economic ac-tivities and historical findings of the ancient period and it is also shaped by ref-erence to the 'primitivist-modernist debate'. In this context, firstly, Mosses I. Finley's primitivist views that claim capitalism cannot be possible in ancient Greece will be explained by taking into consideration the accounting system, commercial activity, social status, labor usages, and land treatments. Secondly, the article will analyze Michael I. Rostovtzeff’s objection to primitivist ideas, and reveal his thoughts by supporting modernist ideas on the existence of capi-talism in ancient Greek. Based on these analyses, it is concluded that it is un-reasonable to talk about the existence of capitalism in ancient Greece.

Antik Yunan'da Kapitalizmin Varlığına İlişkin Bir Sorgulama

Bu makalede, Antik Yunan’da modern anlamda kapitalist bir düzene rast-lamanın mümkün olmadığı iddia edilmektedir. Bu iddia dönem içerisindeki ekonomik faaliyetler ve tarihsel bulgular ile desteklenmekte ve ‘primitivist-modernist tartışmaya’ başvurularak şekillenmektedir. Bu çerçevede, ilk olarak, Mosses I. Finley’nin antik Yunan’da kapitalizmin mümkün olamayacağına iliş-kin - primitivist (ilkelci) olarak adlandırılan – görüşleri, o dönemin muhasebe sistemi, ticari faaliyeti, sosyal statü durumu, iş gücü ve arazi kullanımı gibi un-surlar göz önünde bulundurularak serimlenecektir. İkinci olarak, makale Mic-hael I. Rostovtzeff’in ilkelci fikirlere itirazını eleştirel bir biçimde analiz edecek ve onun antik Yunanda kapitalizmin varlığına ilişkin modernist fikirlerini des-tekleyen düşüncelerini ortaya çıkaracaktır. Bu analizlere dayanarak, makalede antik Yunan’da kapitalizmin varlığı hakkında bir argüman öne sürmenin man-tıklı olmayacağı sonucuna varılmaktadır.

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