The remarkable economic performance of the Roman Empire is now widely acknowledged. Yet there is still much debate about its interpretation. Although this debate is mainly conducted at the empire-wide level, regional syntheses are indispensable to its further advancement. This book contributes to that purpose by providing a comprehensive account of the Roman impact on the economy of the Lower Germanic Limes region. By drawing on a large number of scattered publications and (archaeological) datasets, the work demonstrates that Roman rule also led to important economic developments in a part of the empire that was remote from its Mediterranean heartland.
Erik Timmerman, Ph.D. (2021), University of Cologne, is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bonn. As a member of the Limes und Legion project, he currently researches Roman burials in Nijmegen East.
Acknowledgements List of Figures and Tables
1 Introduction
1.1 The Debate about Roman Economic Growth
1.2 This Book’s Contribution
2 Setting the Stage
2.1 The Natural Landscape
2.2 The Pre-Roman Economy
2.3 Conclusions
3 The Roman Impact
3.1 The Roman Army
3.2 Urbanisation
3.3 Population Growth
3.4 Roman Institutions
3.5 Infrastructure
3.6 Conclusions
4 Agricultural Production
4.1 Long-Term Developments
4.2 The Villa Landscape
4.3 The Non-villa Landscapes
4.4 Conclusions
5 Non-agricultural Production
5.1 Extractive Industries
5.2 Manufacturing
6 Trade
6.1 Amphorae
6.2 Terra sigillata
6.3 Trade with Other Regions
6.4 The Traders
6.5 Conclusions
7 Living Standards
7.1 Housebuilding
7.2 Mobile Material Culture
7.3 Conclusions
8 Final Conclusions
8.1 Synthesis
8.2 Interpretation
8.3 Future Research
Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Appendix 3
Scholars studying aspects of the Roman economy in this or other parts of the Roman Empire or other academics with an interest in the economy of this region.