Problems of safety in trade. Public policies to secure and promote foreign trade. Temples and commerce

Abstract

In this matter, we comment the two oldest epigraphical documents preserved so far: the well known letter of Berezan, and another one found in Olbia and recently published.

Besides the legal protection measures issued by the póleis in order to prevent this practice from affecting their commercial seaports, there are evidences of a protection in the form of privileges granted to various groups of traders settled on territories other than the one of their origin. The addressees of these privileges could be either Greeks or not Greeks.

The reported evidences arise from a review of Herodotus’ informations about the early presence of Greek dealers in Egypt, and specially, about the statute of the Greek traders in Naucratis. We analyze as well similar situations witnessed by latter epigraphical documents, two from Athens (IG II2 337, 333/332 B.C., and IG II2 1283, 261/260 B.C.), with information about the concession to foreign traders of landlots to build their own temples, and one from Thrace (IGBulg V 5557, post. 359 B.C.), recently found, containing a set of grants and privileges to traders of Greek origin.