Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks

The Public Sphere 221
The port of Piraeus, with the Long Walls linking it to Athens. From The
Piraeus by Robert Garland (London: Duckworth, 1987). Reprinted by permission
of Duckworth Publishers.
dates and wheat flour from Phoenicia; and, finally, rugs and cushions
from Carthage. As a result of its imports, Athenians enjoyed a
much more varied diet and lifestyle than any other Greeks until the
Hellenistic Period.
The most valuable Athenian export was silver, which is discussed
in the next section. Other exports included olives, olive oil,
wine, marble, and honey. The only manufactured goods that were
exported were pottery and armor.
Silver Mines
Athens was fortunate in possessing rich deposits of silver. Its
mines were located at Lavrion in southeast Attica. Mining concessions
were auctioned off annually by state officials to private individuals.
They were purchased by both indigent and wealthy lessees,
equally eager to make their fortunes. Each successful bidder was