Ownership and Exploitation of Land and Natural Resources in the Roman World: (Oxford Studies on the Roman Economy)

Explanation of the success and failure of the Roman economy is one of the most important problems in economic history. As an economic system capable of sustaining high production and consumption levels, it was unparalleled until the early modern period. This volume focuses on how the institutional structure of the Roman Empire affected economic performance both positively and negatively. An international range of contributors offers a variety of approaches that together enhance our understanding of how different ownership rights and various modes of organization and exploitation facilitated or prevented the use of land and natural resources in the production process. Relying on a large array of resources - literary, legal, epigraphic, papyrological, numismatic, and archaeological - chapters address key questions regarding the foundations of the Roman Empire's economic system. Questions of growth, concentration and legal status of property (private, public, or imperial), the role of the state, content and limitations of rights of ownership, water rights and management, exploitation of indigenous populations, and many more receive new and original analyses that make this book a significant step forward to understanding what made the economic achievements of the Roman empire possible.

Table of Contents:
List of Contributors List of Figures 1: Arjan Zuiderhoek: Introduction: Land and Natural Resources in the Roman World in Historiographical and Theoretical Perspective 2: Paul Erdkamp: Agriculture, Division of Labour, and the Paths to Economic Growth Part I: Ownership and Control 3: Kyle Harper: Landed Wealth in the Long Term: Patterns, Possibilities, Evidence 4: Elio Lo Cascio: The Development of Imperial Property 5: Laurens Tacoma: Imperial Wealth in Roman Egypt: The Julio-Claudian ousiai 6: Dennis Kehoe: Property Rights over Land and Economic Growth in the Roman Empire 7: Éva Jakab: Ownership and Control: Property Rights and Insitutional Arrangements 8: Christer Bruun: Water Use and Productivity in Roman Agriculture: Selling, Sharing, Servitudes 9: Yuri A. Marano: Control and Management of Water in Ostrogothic Italy Part II: Organization and Modes of Exploitation 10: Alessandro Launaro: The Nature of the Villa Economy 11: Annalisa Marzano: The Variety of Villa Production: From Agriculture to Aquaculture 12: Matthew S. Hobson: The African Boom: The Origins of Economic Growth in Roman North Africa 13: Julia Hoffmann-Salz: The Local Economy of Palmyra: Organizing Agriculture in an Oasis Environment 14: Michael MacKinnon: Changes in Animal Husbandry as a Consequence of Changing Social and Economic Patterns: Zooarchaeological Evidence from the Roman Mediterranean Context Part III: Exploitation and Processing 15: Isabella Tsigarida: Salt in Asia Minor: An Outline of Roman Authority Interest in the Resource 16: Alfred M. Hirt: Imperial Quarries and the Emperor 17: Fernando López Sánchez: The Mining, Minting, and Obtaining of Gold in the Roman Empire Conclusions Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Paul Erdkamp is Professor of Ancient History at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Koenraad Verboven is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Ghent. Arjan Zuiderhoek is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Ghent.

Review :
Ownership and Exploitation of Land is a valuable addition to Oxford Studies on the Roman Economy. The contributions to this volume cover such diverse subjects as macro-economic frameworks, zoo archaeological evidence in animal husbandry and the local economy of Palmyra.