The Cambridge Companion to the Roman Economy

Walter Scheidel

Nov 2012 · Cambridge University Press

About this ebook

The Cambridge Companion to the Roman Economy offers readers a comprehensive and innovative introduction to the economy of the Roman Empire. Focusing on the principal determinants, features, and consequences of Roman economic development and integrating additional web-based materials, it is designed as an up-to-date survey that is accessible to all audiences. Five main sections discuss theoretical approaches drawn from Economics, labor regimes, the production of power and goods, various means of distribution from markets to predation, and the success and ultimate failure of the Roman economy. The book not only covers traditionally prominent features such as slavery, food production, and monetization but also highlights the importance of previously neglected aspects such as the role of human capital, energy generation, rent-taking, logistics, and human wellbeing, and convenes a group of five experts to debate the nature of Roman trade.

About the author

Walter Scheidel is Dickason Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Classics and History at Stanford University, California. He is the author or editor of a dozen books on the ancient world, including The Cambridge Economic History of the Greco-Roman World (with Ian Morris and Richard Saller, 2007). His work, which has focused on ancient social and economic history, historical demography and the history of empire, has been widely recognized for its innovative quantitative and comparative modelling, cross-cultural scope and transdisciplinary breadth across the social sciences and life sciences.