Background
Silver, Morris was born on July 9, 1931 in New York City. Son of Julius and Lilly Silver.
(The primary objective of "Taking Ancient Mythology Econom...)
The primary objective of "Taking Ancient Mythology Economically" is to decipher the "codes" or polysemous signs of many prominent myths of the Graeco-Roman and Near Eastern worlds and thereby to expose their hidden economic meaning. The study is highlighted by analyses of the following themes: the birth of Athena from Zeus' head, Perseus and the Gorgon, and Gilgamesh in the Cedar Forest; Oedipus of Thebes and the biblical myth of the five golden tumours; Semele the daughter of Kadmos; heroic twins; labours of Herakles; Cain, Janus and the rainbow; dogs as merchants and male prostitutes; virgin priestesses in treasuries; Danae and the birth of Perseus and the biblical myth of the "House of Rahab"; circuiting gods; contest between Athena and Poseidon for supremacy in Athens; Hermes versus Apollo, David and his Lyre at King Saul's court, and Gilgamesh the infernal musician. A result of these studies is the extent to which ancient myths are saturated by economic content, especially commercial idioms and the standardized gestures required of contractors. It becomes clear that the ancients were more aware of and interested in the economy than many contemporary scholars give them credit for.
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(5 by predations of the sea peoples. However, the weakenin...)
5 by predations of the sea peoples. However, the weakening of Mycenean seapower, the destruction of the Hittite kingdom, and finally, the limitation on Philistine strength resulting from the alliance between David and the king of Tyre in the eleventh century, combined to open up "for the Phoenicians, in the first quarter of the first millennium B. C. E. vast overseas trading areas" (Oded 1979a, p. 228). By the end of the eleventh century, pottery from Cyprus, after a long absence could once again be found in Israelite-occupied sites (Albright 1960, p. 47). The expansion of the sea trade in the Mediterranean in which, judging by the song of Deborah (Judg. 5), the northern tribes of Asher and Dan (?) (see figure 1-2) would have parti cipated, was accompanied by the inauguration of camel caravans trans porting the goods of southern Arabia to and through Israel (see Bulliet 1975, especially p. 36). Military victories over the Philistines and Syrians, receipts of tribute, and the collection of tolls from the control of trade routes together with the general revival of trade all contributed to Israel's growing wealth. Indeed, the David-Solomon period (most of the tenth century) is often portrayed as the peak of Israelite economic development. In fact there is precious little extra biblical evidence supporting this portrayal. For example, in spite of the reported activity of David and Solomon's scribes, only one example of 6 "Hebrew" writing from this period, the Gezer Calendar, has been found.
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( The economy of the ancient Middle East and Greece is re...)
The economy of the ancient Middle East and Greece is reinterpreted by Morris Silver in this provocative new synthesis. Silver finds that the ancient economy emerges as a class of economies with its own laws of motion shaped by transaction costs (the resources used up in exchanging ownership rights). The analysis of transaction costs provides insights into many characteristics of the ancient economy, such as the important role of the sacred and symbolic gestures in making contracts, magical technology, the entrepreneurial role of high-born women, the elevation of familial ties and other departures from impersonal economics, reliance on slavery and adoption, and the insatiable drive to accumulate trust-capital. The peculiar behavior patterns and mindsets of ancient economic man are shown to be facilitators of economic growth. In recent years, our view of the economy of the ancient world has been shaped by the theories of Karl Polanyi. Silver confronts Polanyi's empirical propositions with the available evidence and demonstrates that antiquity knew active and sophisticated markets. In the course of providing an alternative analytical framework for studying the ancient economy, Silver gives critical attention to the economic views of the Assyriologists I.M. Diakonoff, W.F. Leemans, Mario Liverani, and J.N. Postgate; of the Egyptologists Jacob J. Janssen and Wolfgang Helck; and of the numerous followers of Moses Finley. Silver convincingly demonstrates that the ancient world was not static: periods of pervasive economic regulation by the state are interspersed with lengthy periods of relatively unfettered market activity, and the economies of Sumer, Babylonia, and archaic Greece were capable of transforming themselves in order to take advantage of new opportunities. This new synthesis is essential reading for economic historians and researchers of the ancient Near East and Greece.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0313293805/?tag=2022091-20
(The notion of economic justice and the property rights of...)
The notion of economic justice and the property rights of producers is fundamental to all economic, legal and political systems. Morris Silver's book presents a critical survey of thought in this area - including Rawls, Nozick and Buchanan - to develop a model of economic justice stressing the natural rights of producers to the objects of the production. The central argument of the book is that economic justice has an empirically determinate objective basis in individuals' feelings but that these feelings should not be identified with preferences, utility or interest. They are instead a "moral emotion" rooted in human nature. The author extends this producer ethic to the complexities of modern exchange economies and argues that exchange itself is part of the production process.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/063116748X/?tag=2022091-20
Silver, Morris was born on July 9, 1931 in New York City. Son of Julius and Lilly Silver.
Bachelor of Arts, City College of New York, 1958; Doctor of Philosophy (Earhart Foundation fellow, Ford Foundation fellow), Columbia University, 1964.
Member faculty City College City University of New York, since 1964, associate professor economics, since 1968, professor, since 1972, chairman department, 1969-1995. Research associate National Bureau Economic Research, 1967—1971. Consultant crime deterrence and offender career National Center Health Services Research, since 1970, Hudson Institute, 1974.
With United States Army, 1953-1955.
(The primary objective of "Taking Ancient Mythology Econom...)
(We seem to be witnessing the rebirth of the concept of an...)
(The notion of economic justice and the property rights of...)
( The economy of the ancient Middle East and Greece is re...)
(5 by predations of the sea peoples. However, the weakenin...)
Served with Army of the United States, 1953-1955. Member American Economics Association.
Married Sondra P. Hartman, January 26, 1958. Children: Gerald David, Ronald Alan.