REVIEW: Walter Scheidel, Ian Morris, Richard P. Saller (ed.), The Cambridge Economic History of the Greco-Roman World.

Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2009.04.74
Walter Scheidel, Ian Morris, Richard P. Saller (ed.), The Cambridge Economic History of the Greco-Roman World. Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Pp. xiv, 942. ISBN 9780521780537. $225.00.

Reviewed by Constantina Katsari, University of Leicester (ck82@le.ac.uk)
Word count: 4045 words

Table of Contents (including chh. 16. Hellenistic Egypt Joseph Manning; and 26. Roman Egypt Dominic Rathbone)


This is certainly an extraordinary book on the Ancient Mediterranean economies that ought to be read and quoted by all historians who work in the field of pre-industrial economics. This excellent project was brought to completion by its 3 editors and 27 contributors over the span of a decade. Although this is a Cambridge volume, we should also give ample credit to Stanford University, in which the editors work. According to the editors the goals of this volume are two-fold: 1) to summarize the existing scholarship on the Greco-Roman economy and 2) to shape future research. (p. 1) The chronological and geographical span of time and space extend far beyond what traditionally has been considered the Greco-Roman world. Apart from the Classical, Hellenistic and Roman worlds, it includes prehistoric societies in the Mediterranean and part of the Near Eastern civilizations. This expansion could allow for comparisons between different economic systems across the Mediterranean and, in some cases, may also clarify concepts that were otherwise obscure. In this review, I intend to assess the achievements of this collaboration and the fulfilment of the initial targets.

Etc. at BMCR