From Rome to Byzantium: Trade and Continuity in the First Millennium AD

'From Rome to Byzantium' provides a detailed overview of trading activity in the Roman and Byzantine Mediterranean, grounded in recent archaeological research. In particular, it is argued that while state-sponsored trading was undoubtedly important in both eras, 'free trading' led by consumer tastes and competition over prices must have played a significant role too. It is also contended that the so-called 'Dark Ages' of the seventh and eighth centuries saw more… (more)

'From Rome to Byzantium' provides a detailed overview of trading activity in the Roman and Byzantine Mediterranean, grounded in recent archaeological research. In particular, it is argued that while state-sponsored trading was undoubtedly important in both eras, 'free trading' led by consumer tastes and competition over prices must have played a significant role too. It is also contended that the so-called 'Dark Ages' of the seventh and eighth centuries saw more continuity with the Roman past in terms of both commercial activity and urban life than is often admitted. As such, the Byzantine economic and urban revival of the ninth century needs to be at least partly seen in the context of the 'legacy of Rome' and cannot be considered an entirely unrelated phenomenon, as it sometimes is.

This book is divided into three closely related parts: 'The Nature of Trade in the Roman Mediterranean, c. 200 BC–AD 600'; 'Decline and Recovery: Byzantine Trade, c. 600–1150'; and 'Urban Change and Continuity in Roman and Byzantine Corinth'. In addition, a translation of the 'Rhodian Sea-Law', an important text for maritime trading history, is included as an appendix.