Lectures On The History And Principles Of Ancient Commerce - Softcover

James William Gilbart

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0461680718 ISBN 13: 9780461680713

Publisher: HardPress, 2021

Synopsis

Lectures On The History And Principles Of Ancient Commerce by James William Gilbart Lectures On The History And Principles Of Ancient Commerce is a systematic survey of how commerce emerged and matured in antiquity. Gilbart argues that commerce is both a practical art and a social science, rooted in production, consumption, communication, and law. The lectures trace Egypt’s agricultural economy and its foreign exchanges; the rise of Greek city-states, markets, money, and banking; the Phoenician-dominated Tyre and Carthage and their maritime empire; and Rome’s transformation of agriculture, slavery, roads, postal systems, and insurance. Across these cases, the author emphasizes core commercial principles: secure private property, impartial justice, thriving towns, efficient money and credit, and the diffusion of knowledge. He contends that peace and commerce reinforce one another, while war disrupts production and exchange. The final sections contrast India’s luxury-driven trade with European expansion, describing early routes to the East, the Cape route, and the emergence of global exchange. The lectures combine historical narrative with practical lessons about public spirit, industry, and prudent administration as engines of wealth.

Edition details

• Publisher: HardPress
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0461680718
• ISBN 13: 9780461680713
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 164