Some Observations on the Development of a Sacred Economy from the Archaic Age up to Hellenism

The paper aims to underline the relevance of Greek sanctuaries in establishing a State treasury in the pre-Hellenistic period. In the Archaic and Classical ages, the sanctuary played a crucial role in the functioning of Greek public economics, preserving inside temples consistent capitals in the form of golden and silver items and, to a lesser degree, money. Hoarding processes carried out in sacred spaces were in fact part of the complex administration of the public finances of the polis. The economic activities taking place in cult areas were in fact not restricted to the religious sphere, but, conversely, were deeply interconnected with the urban economy, given that divine assets included taxies, levies, war booties and tithes and could be spent to finance war campaigns the erection of public edifices and infrastructures, the payment of magistrates, the support for the widows and orphans of the wars and further secular expenses.