anatokismos

ANATOKISMOS(ἀνατοκισμός), compound interest, and the correlative εὐθυτοκία, simple interest, do not occur in the classical authors, but are often found in inscriptions; the former as a Latin word in Cic. Att. 5.2. 1, 11, centesimae cum anatocismo anniversario. The equivalent phrase τόκοι τόκων occurs Aristoph. Nub. 1156. As to the Athenian law on this subject, the researches of Büchsenschütz (Besitz und Erwerb, p. 499) and Caillemer (Étude 9. p. 26, also in Daremberg and Saglio s. v.) cannot be said to lead to any definite conclusions. It appears probable that the utmost freedom of contract was allowed. For the Greek feeling against usurers, and the subject generally, see FENUS(Greek).