2016/12/15 by Flohr, Miko 1977-, Wilson, Andrew 1968- · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #Classical Antiquity Studies #Historical and Literary Studies #Historical and Architectural Studies
paper · doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198786573.001.0001
openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex publication_date 2016/12/15 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
Abstract This volume presents fourteen chapters 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 is the position of Pompeii and its agricultural environment, including 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. Second, what did Pompeians get out of their economy: How well-off were people in Pompeii? This involves discussing the consumption of everyday consumer goods, analysing archaeobotanical remains to highlight the quality of Pompeian diets, and discussing what bone remains reveal about the health of the inhabitants. A third theme is economic life in the city: How are we to understand the evidence for crafts and manufacturing or to assess Pompeii’s commercial topography? Who actually invested in constructing shops and workshops? What were the economic contexts in which Pompeian paintings were 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 at 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 at the centre of the Roman world.