The grain market in the Roman Empire

Cover......Page 1
Half-Title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Maps......Page 9
Acknowledgements......Page 10
Introduction......Page 17
CHAPTER 1 Production and productivity in Roman agriculture......Page 28
MEANS OF PRODUCTION......Page 30
Capital......Page 31
Land......Page 34
TENANCY: CAPITAL, LAND AND LABOUR......Page 39
Sharecropping: Pliny, Epist. 9.37......Page 42
Summary......Page 49
Yields according to Cicero, Varro and Columella......Page 50
Comparative evidence......Page 54
Quantitative estimates......Page 62
Variability of harvests......Page 67
CONCLUSIONS......Page 70
INTRODUCTION......Page 71
DEFINITION OF A PEASANT......Page 72
HOUSEHOLD AND LABOUR......Page 77
Chayanov's family cycle......Page 78
Household formation......Page 80
Household labour......Page 87
Summary......Page 94
ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES......Page 95
Agriculture and employment......Page 97
Gender division of labour......Page 103
Women's work: rural textile industry......Page 106
HOUSEHOLD GOALS AND THE MARKET......Page 111
Subsistence – and a little bit more......Page 112
Optimising peasants?......Page 114
Conclusions......Page 120
INTRODUCTION......Page 122
The agricultural writers and the market......Page 125
Elite distribution......Page 130
Landowners and the urban market......Page 134
THE ADVANCE SALE OF GRAIN, WINE AND OLIVE OIL......Page 136
Pliny and the advance sale of wine......Page 139
The wine trade......Page 143
The advance sale of grain......Page 147
PEASANTS AND THE GRAIN MARKET......Page 150
CONCLUSIONS......Page 157
INTRODUCTION......Page 159
Price volatility and price cycle......Page 163
Storage and carry-over......Page 171
Harvest failure and the profitability of cereal farming......Page 180
The risks involved in viticulture......Page 183
Investment in cereal farming......Page 186
Connectivity and isolation......Page 191
Ancient 'cabotage’: vessels, harbours and small-town markets......Page 193
Markets and rumours: A case-study from the age of Demosthenes......Page 197
‘Off the beaten track’: communication and trading networks......Page 201
Price differences and regional economies......Page 212
Conclusions......Page 220
INTRODUCTION......Page 222
The estates of the Roman people......Page 225
Quantifying Sicilian supplies: the evidence of Livy......Page 226
Quantifying Sicilian supplies: the evidence of Cicero......Page 230
TAXATION-IN-KIND......Page 235
EGYPT......Page 241
Flavius Josephus and Egypt's grain......Page 242
The uses of Egypt's grain......Page 246
THE CITY OF ROME: THE 'TWO-TIER SYSTEM’......Page 253
Emperors and popes......Page 254
Annona publica......Page 256
Private enterprise and the grain supply of Rome......Page 260
Selling the public grain......Page 265
Conclusions......Page 271
INTRODUCTION......Page 274
Market regulation in the pre-industrial world......Page 275
Perceptions of the grain market......Page 278
Involvement of Roman authorities......Page 281
Introduction......Page 284
Grain funds and euergetism......Page 287
Coping with shortages?......Page 290
Social networks......Page 295
Conclusions......Page 297
Roman authorities and the imposition of prices......Page 299
Bakers and the price of bread......Page 310
The agoranomos and the imposition of prices in Roman Palestine......Page 318
Conclusions......Page 321
BENEFITS FOR A PRIVILEGED FEW?......Page 322
Conclusions......Page 333
LABOUR......Page 334
MARKET......Page 338
URBAN GRAIN SUPPLY......Page 341
A MODEL FOR GROWTH......Page 343
References......Page 347
General index......Page 372
Index locorum......Page 379