98917 - The Archaeology of the Roman Economy (LM)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module students will have a general understanding of the use of archaeological methods and data in the context of the study of the Roman economy and will be able to critically assess relevant archaeological evidence. Underlying questions in this module are: what was the nature of the Roman economy? What has archaeology contributed to our picture of the Roman economy? The module is organized thematically and will largely focus on the Roman imperial era, with comparisons to earlier and/or later periods as appropriate. Topics covered will include transmarine trade, different types of production activities, and technological innovation.

Course contents

Themes covered in the course will include (but are not limited to):

--Agricultural processing facilities

--Evidence for the production and trade in wine and olive oil

--The exploitation of marine resources

--The use of water power in production processes 

--Technological innovation

--Mining and quarrying 

--Textile and leather production

 

Readings/Bibliography

Reading List for the Exam

An asterisk * denotes a particularly important text.

Bonifay, M. ‘The Distribution of African Pottery under the Roman Empire’, in Wilson, A. and Bowman, A. (eds.) Trade, Commerce and the State in the Roman World. Oxford 2018, 327-51.

*Bowman, A. K. and Wilson, A. Quantifying the Roman Economy Methods and Problems. Oxford 2009: Introduction and sections IV (TRADE) and V (Coinage).

De Vos, M., ‘The Rural Landscape of Thugga: Farms, Presses, Mills, and Transport’, in A. Bowman and A. Wilson (eds), The Roman Agricultural Economy: Organisation, Investment, and Production. Oxford 2013. (recommended)

*Erdkamp, P., Verboven, K., Zuiderhoek, A. (eds), Ownership and Exploitation of Land and Natural Resources in the Roman World. Oxford 2015, chapters 12, 14, and 16 [available via AlmaRE - Biblioteca delle Risorse Elettroniche dell'Ateneo di Bologna]

Erdkamp, P., Verboven, K., Zuiderhoek, A. (eds), Capital, Investment, and Innovation in the Roman World. Oxford 2020, chapters 5, 6, 10, and 13 [available via AlmaRE - Biblioteca delle Risorse Elettroniche dell'Ateneo di Bologna].

*Floor, M. The World of the Fullo. Work, Economy and Society in Roman Italy. Oxford2013. [Selected chapters; guidance will be given at the start of the course].

*Flohr, M. and A. Wilson (eds), The Economy of Pompeii. Oxford 2017: chapters 1, 4, 5, 7, and 8 [available via AlmaRE - Biblioteca delle Risorse Elettroniche dell'Ateneo di Bologna]

Fulford, M. ‘Procurators' business? Gallo-Roman sigillata in Britain in the second and third centuries AD. In: Wilson, A. and Bowman, A. (eds.) Trade, Commerce and the State in the Roman World. Oxford 2018, 301-325. [recommended].

* Greene, K. The Archaeology of the Roman Economy. Berkeley and Los Angeles 1990.

Lewit, T., and P. Burton, 'Wine and oil presses in the Roman to Late Antique Near East and Mediterranean: Balancing textual and archaeological evidence', in Squitieri and Eitam (eds.), Stone Tools in the Ancient Near East and Egypt. Ground stone tools, rock-cut installations and stone vessels from the Prehistory to Late Antiquity. Oxford 2019, 97-110. [recommended].

Marzano, A. Roman Villas in Central Italy: A Social and Economic History. Leiden 2007, chapters 1-5. (recommended)

*Marzano, A. Harvesting the Sea: The Exploitation of Marine Resources in the Roman Mediterranean. Oxford 2013, chapters 1-5.

*Mattingly, D. 'Oil for export? A comparison of Libyan, Spanish and Tunisian olive oil production in the Roman empire'. Journal of Roman Archaeology 1, 1988, 33-56

Morley, N., ‘Cities and Economic Development in the Roman Empire’, in A. Bowman and A. Wilson (eds), Settlement, Urbanization, and Population. Oxford 2011.[Recommended] 

*Oleson, J. P. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Engineering and Technology in the Classical World. Oxford 2009: the whole Part 5 on ‘Technologies of Movement and Transport’.

*Pollard, N. ‘Villas’, in A. Cooley (ed.), A companion to Roman Italy. Chichester 2016, chapter 17.

Tomber, R. ‘Egypt and the Eastern Commerce during the Second Century AD and later’, in Wilson, A. and Bowman, A. (eds.) Trade, Commerce and the State in the Roman World. Oxford 2018.

*Wilson, A. ‘Machines, Power and the Ancient Economy’, The Journal of Roman Studies, 2002, Vol. 92: 1-32.

Wilson, A., and M. Flohr (eds), Urban Craftsmen and Traders in the Roman World. Oxford 2016. [Selected chapters; guidance will be given at the start of the course].

Wilson, A., and M. Flohr (eds),The Economy of Pompeii. Oxford, 2016. [Selected chapters; guidance will be given at the start of the course].

Other readings related to the topics covered in the lectures will be indicated during the course.

Teaching methods

1) Face-to-face thematic lectures

2) Interactive seminars in which the students will be expected to discuss themes and issues emerging from the readings and the lectures

Assessment methods

An oral exam, consisting in three questions on topics covered in the course, will assess the student's command and understanding of the themes presented in class, the issues addressed in the assigned bibliography, and the general understanding of the field of studies at large. The final exam mark is the average of the marks achieved in answering the three questions.

To achieve excellent results, the student is expected to show the ability to critically discuss the themes examined in the course, to use a precise and technical language, and to be able to contextualise individual examples and/or evidence in an organic manner. Simple regurgitation of the lectures' or readings' content without any signs of critical analysis will lead to mediocre marks.  Gaps in the knowledge displayed at the exam or poor awareness  of the pieces of scholarship assigned in the course will result in barely sufficient marks

Teaching tools

-Downloadable PowerPoint presentations

-Class Handouts

Office hours

See the website of Annalisa Marzano