Cambridge, MA: Department of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Doi
Abstract
This paper uses new data to extend the argument that there was an integrated wheat market in the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. I explore the meaning of randomness when data are scarce, and I investigate how we recreate the nature of ancient societies by asking new questions that stimulate the discovery of more information. The case for a prosperous Roman society extending the length of the Mediterranean Sea is strong. This paper draws on and extends work reported in my new book: The Roman Market Economy (Princeton, 2013)
