Theme:
5. All Roads Lead to Rome: Multiscalar Interactions
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
The Roman Economic Mosaic: Exploring the Complexity of Economic Dynamics during the Roman Empire
Content:
Economic mechanisms of the Roman Empire varied across regions, influenced by geography, time, and geopolitics. Frontier zones, characterized by a strong military presence and mingling of populations, exhibit distinct demand and supply dynamics in contrast to the Mediterranean seaboards, where Roman authority was firmly established and military influence minimal.
Italy, at the empire's heart, enjoyed privileges, benefiting from Rome's substantial consumption. In contrast, provinces on the periphery, influenced to a lesser extent by Rome, might have faced fewer advantages or exploitation, particularly if agriculturally rich.
This session explores the Roman Empire's influence on diverse economic dynamics, examining how policies and trade practices led to both convergence and divergence in the economic system. We welcome contributions that offer ideas related to the following topics,
1. Identifying varying economic patterns from small-scale to large-scale markets
2. Debating how different geopolitical contexts affected markets in frontier vs. non-frontier regions and their impact on market differences (private vs. state markets)
3. Exploring complex supply dynamics, including the dominance of specific goods in fringe areas, unrelated to transportation costs.
4. Old and novel approaches for studying economic dynamics (modeling, network analysis, GIS)
This session aspires to identify and scrutinize varying mechanics of trade that characterized the Roman Imperial period across the expanse of the Empire. Through an examination of specific case studies rooted in regional contexts or material evidence, it is anticipated that distinct dynamics will emerge, delineating variances in regions, eras, product markets, and sub-systems within the Roman Empire, thereby facilitating a nuanced understanding of the economic mechanisms governing the Roman world.
We invite contributors who can provide insights into local, regional, inter-regional, and intra-regional economic patterns, with the aim of synthesizing these findings into a comprehensive economic framework for the Roman Empire and generating novel methods for identifying these outside of isolation.
Keywords:
roman economy, roman trade, geopolitical context, economic dynamics, economy, roman empire
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
yes
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Katharina Zerzeropulos (Germany) 1,2
Co-organisers:
MarÃa Coto Sarmiento (Denmark) 3,4
Affiliations:
1. ROOTS Cluster of Excellence
2. Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
3. Centre for Urban Network Evolutions (UrbNet)
4. Aarhus University
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