Wealth, Work and Wages in the Ancient Mediterranean World

Description

This course will provide insights into one of the most important topics of ancient social history: the ancient economy. We will investigate where, when and why the Greeks and Romans developed and adopted coins. We will analyse the ancient Roman labour market, investigating occupations and industries from prostitution to the fullers, from agriculture to urban bars. We will ask how much labourers earned and how much it cost to live, could Roman workers actually survive in Rome? In addition to understanding more about the daily reality for individuals we will also look at macro issues, such as Roman trade with India and China, Roman state expenditure, taxes, and slave markets.