He notes both ends of the spectrum regarding the attitudes from leaving it preserved and untouched in the temple sphere to utilizing it, through acts such as lending or borrowing, as an asset to obtain even greater wealth. Davies asserts that the instillation of coined money around 500 BC has what facilitated the progression toward monetizing the temple economy in the first place. However, the use of valuable metals like silver and gold as assets was in use long before the invention and adoption of coins. Evidence of this was on an inscribed silver tablet found at the ancient city of Ephesus beneath its Croesus temple. Davies associated this tablet with the finances behind the temples construction as it lists the silver and gold assets in the form of bullion and also as staters. Although it is important to note that Davies thought that the staters were used as weights rather than as coins. .
In contrast to the stewardship of the temple's wealth, Davies attention to the employment of it instead. He noticed that there were some states, such as Corinth and Athens, which were more agreeable to "borrowing" or "lending" out sacred funds as compared to more religiously traditional ones. He further noted that certain states would have had some incentive to dip into the sacred funds that would likely have benefited them in some way. For example, concerning Corinth and Athens specifically, both states were major naval powers of the ancient Mediterranean. As populations soared, the need for military protection to keep people safe and state to state relations in check increased ten-fold. Not only did the military require more people, but also more resources; which meant, more money. Ancient coastal city-states like Athens and Corinth would have relied heavily on their naval powers. The navy and other military organizations were essential to their security and ultimately their survival.
