Description
Book SynopsisA collection of essays providing a stimulating rebuttal to the prevailing minimalism in late antique studies. Money, aristocracy, trade, and the problem of continuity are among the major themes considered, and a wide range of sources is deployed. It will be of interest to ancient and medieval historians and economic historians more generally.
Table of ContentsPreface; Introductory essay: 1. Mass production, monetary economy and the commercial vitality of the Mediterranean; Part I. Mapping the Late Antique Economy: 2. Mickwitz's modernism: the writings of 1932–6; 3. State and aristocracy in the economic evolution of the Late Empire; 4. The economic trajectories of late antiquity; Part II. Money Circulation (Rules, Rhythms): 5. Discounts, weight standards and the exchange rate between gold and copper; 6. Precious metal coinages and monetary expansion in late antiquity; Part III. Aristocracies and Estates: 7. Aristocracies, peasantries and the framing of the early Middle Ages: 8. Late antique aristocracies: the case of Iran; Part IV. Beyond the Mediterranean and Late Antiquity: 9. Late antique legacies and Muslim economic expansion; 10. 'Regions that look seaward' - changing fortunes, submerged histories, and the slow capitalism of the sea.
