Commerce and Social Standing in Ancient Rome

John H. D'Arms

ISBN 10: 0674331184 / ISBN 13: 9780674331181

Published by Harvard University Press, 1981

About this Item

nach der Bestellung gedruckt Neuware - Printed after ordering - 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.

Seller Inventory # 9780674331181

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Commerce and Social Standing in Ancient Rome
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication Date: 1981
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674331184
• ISBN 13: 9780674331181
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 236W x 160H x 19D millimeters 236 millimeters width by 160 millimeters height by 19 millimeters depth
• Weight: 518 grams

About this title

Synopsis

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.