Classical civilization is renowned for its intellectual innovations and cultural masterpieces, but less well known for Athens’ invention of the world’s first commercial banks and its wisdom in dealing with financial crises and economic challenges, and for Rome’s success in developing a European Common Market free of the political defects of the present trauma-beset Eurozone. Edward E. Cohen Cohen will consider how Athens protected its banks’ fiscal credibility while punishing financial wrongdoing. Athens also demonstrates how a skillful democracy can effectively collect taxes even when confronting a population determined to evade governmental imposts. The history of the Roman Republic shows that a strong economic center and weak peripheral economies can be melded into a mutually beneficial union.

Edward E. Cohen is chief executive officer of Atlas Energy, an New York Stock Exchange–listed company engaged in the production and processing of natural gas and oil throughout the United States. He has also served as chairman of several banks and bank-holding companies. Cohen is professor of classical studies and ancient history (adj.) at the University of Pennsylvania. Among his books are Athenian Economy and Society: A Banking Perspective, Ancient Athenian Maritime Courts, and The Athenian Nation. He is presently Trustee Emeritus of both the American Academy in Rome and the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. His son, Daniel Cohen, is a Trustee of the American Academy in Rome.