Economic Success in Ancient Greece

The ancient Greeks were the original economists. They believed in good strife, which encouraged competition to be the best craftsman and developed the cult of the individual.

Ancient Greeks may have been the original “rugged individualists.” They believed in “good strife,” which encouraged competition and championed traits such as hard work, education, and innovation.

Ancient Greeks thought that the success of an individual, assuming a level playing field, also meant success for the community. Today, this idea can be seen in the work of philanthropists who share their wealth with others.
Instructional Content
- National Geographic Education: Civics Moves Up in Class
Websites
- Learning to Give: Science of Giving
- National Geographic Education: Ancient Greece

Term	Part of Speech	Definition
ancient Greece	Noun	loosely united civilization founded on and around the Peloponnese peninsula, lasting from about the 8th century BCE to about 200 BCE.
capitalism	Noun	economic system where the free exchange of goods and services is controlled by individuals and groups, not the state.
democracy	Noun	system of organization or government where the people decide policies or elect representatives to do so.
economy	Noun	system of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
innovation	Noun	something new.
philanthropist	Noun	person who donates money, goods, or services to those in need.

Credits

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Writer

Jeanna Sullivan, National Geographic Society

Editor

Caryl-Sue Micalizio, National Geographic Society

Producer

Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Society

Last Updated

May 12, 2017

User Permissions

For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact natgeocreative@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please visit our FAQ page.

Media

Some media assets (videos, photos, audio recordings and PDFs) can be downloaded and used outside the National Geographic website according to the Terms of Service. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the lower right hand corner () of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.