to the construction of a bee-hive, and were found for example in the Mycenae tombs of 1550–1500 BCE. Private and civic entities within ancient Grecian society, especially Greek temples, performed financial transactions. (Gilbart p. 3) The temples were the places where treasure was deposited for safe-keeping. The three temples thought the most important were the temple to Artemis in Ephesus, and temple of Hera within Samos, and within Delphi, the temple to Apollo. These consisted of deposits, currency exchange, validation of coinage, and loans. The first treasury to the Apollonian temple was built before the end of the 7th century BCE. A treasury of the temple was constructed by the city of Siphnos during the 6th century. Before the destruction by Persians during the 480 invasion, the Athenian Acropolis temple dedicated to Athena stored money; Pericles rebuilt a depository afterward contained within the Parthenon. During the reign of the Ptolemies, state depositories replaced temples as the location of security-deposits. Records exist to show this having occurred by the end of the reign of Ptolemy I (305–284). As the need for new buildings to house operations increased, construction of these places within the cities began around the courtyards of the agora (markets). Geographical focus of banking activities Athens received the Delian league's treasury during 454. During the late 3rd and 2nd century BCE, the Aegean island of Delos became a prominent banking center. During the 2nd century, there were for certain three banks and one temple depository within the city. Thirty-five Hellenistic cities had private banks during the 2nd century (Roberts – p. 130). Of the settlements of the Greco-Roman world of the 1st century CE, three were of pronounced wealth and centres of banking: Athens, Corinth and Patras. Loans Many loans are recorded in writings from the classical age, although a very small proportion were provided by banks. Provision of these were likely an occurrence of Athens, with loans known to have been provided at some time at an annual interest of 12%. Within the boundaries of Athens, bankers' loans are recorded as having been issued on eleven occasions altogether (Bogaert 1968). Banks sometimes made loans available confidentially, which is, they provided funds without being publicly and openly known to have done so In addition, they kept depositors' names confidential as well. This intermediation per se was known as dia tes trapazēs. A loan was made by a Temple of