The study of Roman towns and cities has long been dominated by the consumer city model set out by Moses Finley in the 1970s, which characterizes ancient cities as sites of consumption, not production. Archaeologists and ancient historians are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the limitations of this model, and with its narrowly economic perspective. This work raises questions about how Roman cities are perceived by experts in the 1990s. The contributors use a variety of new approaches and methodologies. They consider the various social implications of Roman urbanism and the organization...

Trade, exchange and commerce touched the lives of everyone in antiquity, especially those who lived in urban areas. Trade, Traders and the Ancient City addresses the nature of exchange and commerce and the effects it had in cities throughout the ancient world, from the Bronze Age Near East to late Roman northern Italy.
Trade, Traders and the Ancient City employs the most recent archaeological, papyrological, epigraphic and literary evidence to present an innovative and timely analysis of the importance and influence of trade in the ancient world.