TEXTS, CONTEXTS AND MODELS OF INTELLECTUAL DOMINATION: PREGNANCY AND THE IMPACT OF THE ANCIENT ECONOMY, BY MOSES I. FINLEY

Abstract

This article examines the textual aspects of the enthronization of Moses I. Finley (1912-1986)
as a leading historian of ancient Greek and Roman economy. It tries to show how Finley’s
main economic history book (The Ancient Economy, 1973) was conceived by the author and
received by his first critics. I will argue that an analysis of The Ancient Economy as a crucial
element in the constitution of a particular intellectual domination system blurs the barriers
between “external” and “internal” factors in the process of Finley’s consecration as an
authority in the field of ancient economy.