Commerce and Social Standing in Ancient Rome /
John D'Arms explores here a question of central importance for the social economic history of the Roman world: which sectors of society were actively engaged in trade? In the late Roman Republic and early Empire senators were prohibited by law from direct participation in seaborne commerce; tra...
Autor principal: | |
---|---|
Formato: | Electrónico eBook |
Idioma: | Inglés |
Publicado: |
Cambridge, MA :
Harvard University Press,
[2013]
|
Edición: | Reprint 2013 |
Temas: | |
Acceso en línea: | Texto completo Texto completo |
Sumario: | John D'Arms explores here a question of central importance for the social economic history of the Roman world: which sectors of society were actively engaged in trade? In the late Roman Republic and early Empire senators were prohibited by law from direct participation in seaborne commerce; trade was not considered a respectable pursuit. Yet large fortunes were amassed by men of rank through a variety of lucrative enterprises. Exploiting the evidence of literature, archaeology, and inscription, D'Arms constructs case histories which reveal how senators realized commercial profits by indirect involvement: freedmen, municipal notables, and "friends" often served as the equivalent of partners or agents of aristocrats with large holdings in land. In demonstrating a flexibility in upper-class attitudes toward commercial activity, he offers a study in the adaptation of a social system to economic realities. |
---|---|
Descripción Física: | 1 online resource (201 p.) : illustrations |
ISBN: | 9780674331198 9783110353488 9783110353563 9783110442212 |
Acceso: | restricted access |