Metropolis and Hinterland
Metropolis and Hinterland
The City of Rome and the Italian Economy, 200 BC–AD 200
This book studies the growth of the city of Rome and the effects of the city's demands for food and migrants on the economy of Italy. It seeks to question the idea that all great cities, especially in the ancient world, were parasites on the societies that supported them. On the contrary, the growth of Rome promoted development in agriculture, marketing systems and urbanization in Italy. The book reappraises not only the traditional view of Rome as a consumer city but also the history of Italy in the late Republic and early Principate.
- A new perspective on the history of Roman Italy
- Comprehensive and informative treatment of a surprisingly neglected topic
- Synthesis of archaeological work, much of it not published in English
Reviews & endorsements
"Morley presents his thesis clearly, logically, and persuasively. His arguments will give both primitives and modernists much to ponder..." R.I. Curtis, Choice
Product details
October 1996Hardback
9780521560061
224 pages
237 × 158 × 20 mm
0.503kg
3 maps 1 table
Available
Table of Contents
- Introduction: Rome and Italy
- 1. The metropolitan city in a pre-industrial economy
- 2. The demographic burden
- 3. A model of agricultural change
- 4. The transformation of the Roman suburbium
- 5. Agricultural development in central Italy
- 6. Exploiting the margins
- 7. Marketing and urbanisation
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index.
