scholarly journals Statistics in Ancient History

2020 ◽  
pp. 137-162
Author(s):  
Peter Temin
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Roman Republic ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Market Economy ◽  
Ancient History ◽  
Roman Society ◽  
Wheat Market ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Late Roman

This chapter 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 chapter draws on and extends work reported in my book: The Roman Market Economy (2013).

The solidus hoard of Casa delle Vestali in context

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 107-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svante Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Roman Emperor ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Gold Coins ◽  
Late Roman

In this paper, I discuss the context of a Late Roman solidus hoard found in the Casa delle Vestali on the Forum Romanum in Rome. The hoard consists of 397 solidi, Late Roman gold coins. Most of the hoard consists of uncirculated solidi struck in the name of the Western Roman emperor Procopius Anthemius (AD 467–472). By means of situating the hoard within the context of the reign of Anthemius and the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the aim of this paper is to determine if the coins in the Vestal hoard can be related to other contemporary coin hoards by means of numismatic typology; this information could add to our understanding of why Anthemius’ reign is considered such an unmitigated failure and why the Empire collapsed soon after his murder. In this article, the composition of the hoard is examined, and the contents are compared to other contemporary solidus hoards in the Mediterranean, Gaul, Poland and Scandinavia. I argue that this comparison shows that the Vestal hoard is not part of a larger network but that the hoard constitutes the remains of an isolated occurrence—as initially suggested by its unusual composition and location.

Wheat Prices and Trade in the Early Roman Empire

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Temin
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Roman Republic ◽  
Small Data ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Data Points ◽  
Small Data Sets ◽  
Few Data ◽  
Late Roman

This chapter discusses how there is little of what economists call data on markets in Roman times, despite lots of information about prices and transactions. Data, as economists consider it, consist of a set of uniform prices that can be compared with each other. According to scholars, extensive markets existed in the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. Even though there is a lack of data, there are enough observations for the price of wheat, the most extensively traded commodity, to perform a test. The problem is that there is only a little bit of data by modern standards. Consequently, the chapter explains why statistics are useful in interpreting small data sets and how one deals with various problems that arise when there are only a few data points.

Religious Dissent in Late Antiquity, 350-450

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maijastina Kahlos
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Late Antiquity ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Fourth Century ◽  
Late Antique ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Religious Dissent ◽  
Roman Society ◽  
History Of ◽  
Late Roman

Religious Dissent in Late Antiquity reconsiders the religious history of the late Roman Empire, focusing on the shifting position of dissenting religious groups. The groups under consideration are non-Christians (‘pagans’) and deviant Christians (‘heretics’). The period from the mid-fourth century until the mid-fifth century CE witnessed a significant transformation of late Roman society and a gradual shift from the world of polytheistic religions into the Christian Empire. This book demonstrates that the narrative is much more nuanced than the simple Christian triumph over the classical world. It looks at everyday life, economic aspects, day-to-day practices, and conflicts of interest in the relations of religious groups. The book addresses two aspects: rhetoric and realities, and consequently delves into the interplay between the manifest ideologies and daily life found in late antique sources. We perceive constant flux between moderation and coercion that marked the relations of religious groups, both majorities and minorities, as well as the imperial government and religious communities. Religious Dissent in Late Antiquity is a detailed analysis of selected themes and a close reading of selected texts, tracing key elements and developments in the treatment of dissident religious groups. The book focuses on specific themes, such as the limits of imperial legislation and ecclesiastical control, the end of sacrifices, and the label of magic. It also examines the ways in which dissident religious groups were construed as religious outsiders in late Roman society.

scholarly journals Late Antiquity by Gordon Childe: Sources and Inspirations

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 157-165
Author(s):  
Elżbieta Jastrzębowska
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Roman Republic ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Late Antiquity ◽  
Roman Period ◽  
October Revolution ◽  
National Socialist ◽  
The Middle Ages ◽  
Late Roman

In the last chapter of What Happened in History, Childe touched on the problematic of Late Antiquity. His pessimistic view of that period was a variation on the theme of decadence. This theme had existed in the Roman Republic and under the Empire, long before there was any Late Antiquity to be decadent. It then persisted throughout the Middle Ages and found monumental expression in Gibbon's Decline and Fall. Childe, however, took it to excessive lengths in his denunciation of the politics, economy, and culture of the Late Roman Empire. Childe based his arguments largely on the work of Rostovtzeff and Heichelheim. Both these eminent historians were exiles: Rostovtzeff from the Russia of the October Revolution and Heichelheim from National Socialist Germany. It is no belittlement to say that their work was influenced by the insights of their political experiences. Childe, however, did not appreciate this and adopted their thinking somewhat uncritically. He further added parallels between the Roman Period and his own time, which resulted in an unduly dark vision of the last phase of the Roman Empire.

Naming religious groups in the late Roman empire

2004 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore S. de Bruyn
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Late Antiquity ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Introductory Essay ◽  
Mediterranean World ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Late Roman

What are scientifically valid and interpretatively meaningful names for adherents of religious cults or traditions in the Mediterranean world of late antiquity? This question lies behind the articles in this issue of Studies in Religion / Sciences Religieuses, which consider the meaning and validity of five names used in studies of religion in the late Roman empire: "pagans," "Jews," "Christians," "Gnostics" and "Manichaeans." This paper, an introductory essay to the issue, proposes that, when answering this question, one adopt Benson Saler's prototype approach to the categorization of religious groups. It argues, further, that a prototype approach must include etic categories of analysis and that it requires specific and detailed studies of similarities and differences within and between groups.

Sin, Citizenship, and the Salvation of Souls: The Impact of Christian Priorities on Late-Roman and Post-Roman Society

1997 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 644-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine MacCormack
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
The West ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Roman Society ◽  
The Third ◽  
Fall Of Rome ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Late Roman

The impact of Christianity on the functioning of the later Roman empire has been examined by historians ever since Gibbon published his Decline and Fall. Had the Christians hastened the decline and fall of Rome? Outlining some themes of his projected work, Gibbon suggested before 1774 that indeed they had. In 1776, when publishing the first volume of his history, he touched on this same issue with considerable circumspection; but five years later, his earlier opinion appeared in print under the heading of “General Observations on the Decline of the Empire in the West” by way of concluding the third volume of the work. Here, Gibbon stated:As the happiness of a future life is the great object of religion, we may hear, without surprise or scandal, that the introduction, or at least the abuse, of Christianity had some influence on the decline and fall of the Roman empire. The clergy successfully preached the doctrines of patience and pusillanimity; the active virtues of society were discouraged: and the last remains of military spirit were buried in the cloister; a large portion of public and private wealth was consecrated to the specious demands of charity and devotion; and the soldiers' pay was lavished on the useless multitudes of both sexes, who could only plead the merits of abstinence and chastity.

scholarly journals Marcus Antonius’ Campaign against the Pirates in 102 BC

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-96
Author(s):  
Svetlana Iakovleva
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Ancient History ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Military Command ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Military Campaign

The struggle between the Roman State and Mediterranean pirates is a problem in ancient history that has not been sufficiently studied. By analyzing events from the turn of the 1st century BC, the author provides information about the first serious military campaign, as well as the qualitative and quantitative Roman staff directed against the piracy in Cilicia. The author concludes that the problem of piracy was not solved and claims that Cilicia was established not as a province but as a military command aimed to resolve the situation in the Mediterranean Sea.

Where Notaries Provided Legal Services to Medieval Townspeople

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 270-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Mosher Stuard
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Market Economy ◽  
Family Law ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Legal Services ◽  
Commercial Law ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Cross Fertilization

If notarial offices in medieval Italian towns had not offered their dual services of commercial law contracts and family law documents on the same premises and in the homes of their clients, perhaps the cross-fertilization of ideas that created the instruments of trade sustaining Europe’s emerging market economy would not have followed. Italian traders carried the contracts that undergirded long-distance trade across Europe and the Mediterranean Sea leaving a singular mark on economic development. Corresponding effects on families who were involved in trade were dramatic, if unintended.

scholarly journals Coinage of the Cilician Cities as a Mirror of Historical and Cultural Changes (V c. BCE – III c. CE)

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 113-135
Author(s):  
Edward Dąbrowa
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Taurus Mountains ◽  
Religious Influences ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Local Traditions ◽  
Archaeological Excavations ◽  
Over Time

In antiquity Cilicia was a small but important area. The geographical setting, between the Taurus Mountains, the Mediterranean Sea and Anatolia, and the fact that territory of Cilicia was crossed by several routes connecting Anatolia with the Mediterranean sea shore and Syria determined its strategic significance. The geography of the area held importance for its cultural development as well. The northern part of Cilicia, Cilicia Aspera, was mountainous, sparsely populated and poorly urbanized; cities were few and located mainly on the seashore. The southern part, Cilicia Pedias, was much more prosperous and intensively urbanized. Its location made it a bridge for various cultural and religious influences coming from neighboring countries, but also an object of their expansion. Both parts of Cilicia experienced governance of many powers: Achaemenid Persia, local rulers, Hellenistic kings, and the Romans. Each of them left own political and cultural imprint on the area. Effects of this cultural mixture are clearly visible in archaeological excavations and in many types of artefacts. Another type of evidence which reflects the complicated past of Cilicia is also available: numismatic evidence. There are a few Cilician cities in which coins were minted from the Achaemenid times to the Roman Empire. This paper attempts to look into the iconography of their coinage and analyze political and religious symbols and their subjects of depiction. The aim is to find out how specific powers ruling over cities influenced local traditions, what were the remnants of those, and how they eventually evolved over time.

scholarly journals Forgotten Mediterranean calving grounds of grey and North Atlantic right whales: evidence from Roman archaeological records

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1882) ◽  
pp. 20180961 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana S. L. Rodrigues ◽  
Anne Charpentier ◽  
Darío Bernal-Casasola ◽  
Armelle Gardeisen ◽  
Carlos Nores ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Ecosystem Impacts ◽  
Right Whales ◽  
North Atlantic Right Whales ◽  
Commercial Whaling ◽  
Whaling Industry ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Eastern North Atlantic

Right whales ( Eubalaena glacialis ) were extirpated from the eastern North Atlantic by commercial whaling. Grey whales ( Eschrichtius robustus ) disappeared from the entire North Atlantic in still-mysterious circumstances. Here, we test the hypotheses that both species previously occurred in the Mediterranean Sea, an area not currently considered part of their historical range. We used ancient DNA barcoding and collagen fingerprinting methods to taxonomically identify a rare set of 10 presumed whale bones from Roman and pre-Roman archaeological sites in the Strait of Gibraltar region, plus an additional bone from the Asturian coast. We identified three right whales, and three grey whales, demonstrating that the ranges of both of these species historically encompassed the Gibraltar region, probably including the Mediterranean Sea as calving grounds. Our results significantly extend the known range of the Atlantic grey whale, and suggest that 2000 years ago, right and grey whales were common when compared with other whale species. The disappearance of right and grey whales from the Mediterranean region is likely to have been accompanied by broader ecosystem impacts, including the disappearance of their predators (killer whales) and a reduction in marine primary productivity. The evidence that these two coastal and highly accessible species were present along the shores of the Roman Empire raises the hypothesis that they may have formed the basis of a forgotten whaling industry.

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