CLASS 2712 - [The Ancient Economy]

(crosslisted) ARKEO 2712, HIST 2712
(HB) (HA-AS, HST-AS, SSC-AS)

Spring. Not offered: 2022-2023. Next offered: 2024-2025. 3 credits. Student option grading.

A. Van Oyen.

Ancient economies were very different to our modern economy: there were no banks, transport and communication were difficult, and the discipline of economics did not yet exist. Yet there are also striking similarities between the ancient and modern economic worlds: many people liked luxuries, production was increasingly standardized, and buyers and sellers came together on market days. This course introduces the key characteristics of ancient economies, with a focus on ancient Rome but also looking at classical Athens and further afield. It is structured around themes such as trade and exchange, craft, consumption, and money. Its aim is to probe the nature of the ancient economy, both for students interested in the ancient world and for students keen to put the modern economy in historical perspective.