The Economy of Pompeii

Andrew Wilson editor Miko Flohr editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press

Published:22nd Dec '16

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

The Economy of Pompeii cover

This volume presents fourteen papers by Roman archaeologists and historians discussing approaches to the economic history of Pompeii, and the role of the Pompeian evidence in debates about the Roman economy. Four themes are discussed. The first of these is the position of Pompeii and its agricultural environment, discussing the productivity and specialization of agriculture in the Vesuvian region, and the degree to which we can explain Pompeii's size and wealth on the basis of the city's economic hinterland. A second issue discussed is what Pompeians got out of their economy: how well-off were people in Pompeii? This involves discussing the consumption of everyday consumer goods, analyzing archaeobotanical remains to highlight the quality of Pompeian diets, and discussing what bone remains reveal about the health of the inhabitants of Pompeii. A third theme is economic life in the city: how are we to understand the evidence for crafts and manufacturing? How are we to assess Pompeii's commercial topography? Who were the people who actually invested in constructing shops and workshops? In which economic contexts were Pompeian paintings produced? Finally, the volume discusses money and business: how integrated was Pompeii into the wider world of commerce and exchange, and what can the many coins found at Pompeii tell us about this? What do the wax tablets found near Pompeii tell us about trade in the Bay of Naples in the first century AD? Together, the chapters of this volume highlight how Pompeii became a very rich community, and how it profited from its position in the centre of the Roman world.

In a short review of thirteen papers it is not possible to do justice to the many areas explored. Suffice to say a reader would go away with a good idea of current views of Pompeii's economy. They would also have a better understanding of the need to see different aspects of the economy, normally considered in isolation, as a network of practice in the same conceptual landscape. Certainly there are ideas here that could usefully be applied to other sites and the book should help bring Pompeii back into the mainstream of thought on the Roman economy. * H. E. M. Cool, Journal of Roman Studies *
It is a valuable resource for students and scholars already familiar with the site. ... In the end, the volume makes a coherent argument for Pompeii's particular role within the economic and geographical development of Roman Italy at the level of city, region, and supra-regional scales and is a welcome addition to the growing number of scholarly analyses of Pompeii. * Jeffrey D. Veitch, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
The quality of these papers is very high, and the standard is maintained in this latest fascinating 14-paper volume. * Peter Jones, Classics for All *

ISBN: 9780198786573

Dimensions: 240mm x 168mm x 27mm

Weight: 906g

452 pages