讲者简要

Dr. Rhyne King received his PhD at the University of Chicago and is currently a Faculty of Arts and Science Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Toronto. He researches the social, economic, and political history of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, which stretched from the Mediterranean coast to Central Asia from 550-330 BCE. His research engages with the global history of empire, and he also studies the interdependencies between the Achaemenid Empire and its neighbors in Greece, South Asia, and Central Asia. His first monograph, The House of the Satrap: The Making of the Ancient Persian Empire, appeared with the University of California Press in 2025.

摘要

In this talk, Dr. King will present one possible approach for a global ancient history: the study of interdependencies among regions and polities. The Persian kings, ruling from southwestern Iran, demanded taxes paid in silver. The world’s most productive silver mines lay in Athens, the most famous of the Greek city-states, beyond the Persian kings’ rule. Inhabitants of the Persian-ruled Mediterranean coast acquired Athenian silver through the export of grain and enslaved captives. Many of these slaves were then forced to work the brutal silver mines in Athens. Transcontinental networks of extraction, exchange, and exploitation linked Athens to the Persian capitals.

2026年2月3日学术讲座「迈向全球古代史：公元前520-330年的雅典白银、地中海贸易与波斯政治经济」片段重温

2026年2月3日，多伦多大学博士後研究员莱恩·金 (Rhyne KING) 博士应邀於香港中文大学发表题爲「迈向全球古代史：公元前520-330年的雅典白银、地中海贸易与波斯政治经济」的讲座。金博士以区域间的相互依存关系为切入点，从全球视角研究古代历史，并以白银流通爲案例，阐明雅典与阿契美尼德帝国之间的历史联繫。

金博士以公元前376年雅典爲表彰腓尼基西顿国王促进外交与贸易的贡献所举行的庆典为列，说明当时的交流网络。雅典从波斯帝国进口粮食以养活日益增长的人口，同时出口白银作为回报。波斯统治者积累庞大白银储备，用於支付军饷或打造奢华器物。由此可见雅典与波斯之间密切的相互依存关系。

不同於比较史研究，金博士着重於原本常被独立研究的地区所存在的历史脉络，认为这种研究思路具有潜力。他介绍了研究阿契美尼德的主要文献，阐明古希腊史学家着作、阿契美尼德帝国官员所留存的多语种文献和考古证据在相关研究中的重要价值。随後，他详细阐述阿契美尼德帝国境内白银的流通与使用情况，揭示由於白银资源短缺，促使阿契美尼德帝国须从外界获取白银，从而与雅典建立起紧密的贸易关系。作爲雅典最重要的贸易夥伴，阿契美尼德帝国向雅典出口多种商品，其中尤以谷物和奴隶最为重要，以换取雅典的白银。

金博士分析的重点在於雅典以剥削爲基础的经济模式：大规模开採的白银以交换粮食和奴隶，而来自阿契美尼德的奴隶则从事残酷的白银开採，以其劳力推动两地经济发展，并将地中海贸易与欧亚贸易网络相连。

金博士总结指出，这种相互依存关系爲探索全球古代史提供了案例，他提倡跨学科合作，以探索非洲、欧亚大陆等地区之间的相互依存关系。