Quantifying the Roman Economy: Methods and Problems

Description

This collection of essays is the first volume in a new series, Oxford Studies on the Roman Economy. Edited by the series editors, it focuses on the economic performance of the Roman empire, analysing the extent to which Roman political domination of the Mediterranean and north-west Europe created the conditions for the integration of agriculture, production, trade, and commerce across the regions of the empire. Using the evidence of both documents and archaeology, the contributors suggest how we can derive a quantified account of economic growth and contraction in the period of the empire's greatest extent and prosperity. Contents List of Contributors List of Figures List of Tables INTRODUCTION: APPROACHES 1. Quantifying the Roman Economy: Integration, Growth, Decline? I: URBANIZATION 2. Urbanization as a Proxy of Demographic and Economic Growth 3. Response to Elio Lo Cascio II: FIELD SURVEY AND DEMOGRAPHY 4. Archaeology, Demography, and Roman Economic Growth 5. Peopling the Countryside: Roman Demography in the Albegna Valley and Jerba 6. Peopling Ancient Landscapes: Potential and Problems III: AGRICULTURE 7. Quantifying Egyptian Agriculture 8. Response to Alan Bowman IV: TRADE 9. Approaches to Quantifying Roman Trade 10. Approaches to Quantifying Roman Trade: Response 11. A Comment on Andrew Wilson: ‘Approaches to Quantifying Roman Trade’ V: COINAGE 12. Roman Silver Coinage: Mints, Metallurgy, and Production 13. Coinage and Metal Supply 14. Some Numismatic Approaches to Quantifying the Roman Economy VI: PRICES, EARNINGS, AND STANDARDS OF LIVING 15. Earnings and Costs: Living Standards and the Roman Economy 16. How Prosperous were the Romans? Evidence from Diodetian’s Price Edict (AD 301) 17. New Ways of Studying Incomes in the Roman Economy Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Z