Commerce and Social Standing in Ancient Rome |
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Author:
| D'Arms, John H. |
ISBN: | 978-0-674-33119-8 |
Publication Date: | Oct 2013 |
Publisher: | Harvard University Press
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Book Format: | Ebook |
List Price: | USD $65.00 |
Book Description:
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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,...
More Description
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.