Roman taxation and economy

[Kristian D'Amato]

I'm looking to model the Roman finance/economy mathematically, but not being a history student, have no idea where to look for resources. Are there any good books on the subject? The internet doesn't have much to say about taxes in ancient times, except a few percentages here and there. I would appreciate a more detailed study. This doesn't have to be 100% accurate - a theoretical model would suffice.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Primus Pilus]

I'm looking to model the Roman finance/economy mathematically, but not being a history student, have no idea where to look for resources. Are there any good books on the subject? The internet doesn't have much to say about taxes in ancient times, except a few percentages here and there. I would appreciate a more detailed study. This doesn't have to be 100% accurate - a theoretical model would suffice.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

There are some excellent books covering many aspects of the Roman economy, here's a good sample to get you started.

 

The first two represent base economic studies:

Money and Government in the Roman Empire by Richard Duncan-Jones

 

Structure and Scale in the Roman Economy also by Richard Duncan-Jones

 

The title alone should be a giveaway... it focuses heavily on money flow and the use of currency in the ancient world:

Banking and Business in the Roman World by Jean Andreau

 

Obviously this focuses on coinage, but it also provides an excellent introductory overview of the Roman economy.

Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700 by Kenneth Harl.

[Kristian D'Amato]

I'm looking to model the Roman finance/economy mathematically, but not being a history student, have no idea where to look for resources. Are there any good books on the subject? The internet doesn't have much to say about taxes in ancient times, except a few percentages here and there. I would appreciate a more detailed study. This doesn't have to be 100% accurate - a theoretical model would suffice.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

There are some excellent books covering many aspects of the Roman economy, here's a good sample to get you started.

 

The first two represent base economic studies:

Money and Government in the Roman Empire by Richard Duncan-Jones

 

Structure and Scale in the Roman Economy also by Richard Duncan-Jones

 

The title alone should be a giveaway... it focuses heavily on money flow and the use of currency in the ancient world:

Banking and Business in the Roman World by Jean Andreau

 

Obviously this focuses on coinage, but it also provides an excellent introductory overview of the Roman economy.

Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700 by Kenneth Harl.

 

That's some helpful advice! Thanks

[Pompieus]

Though dated, there is also M I Rostovtzeff's "Social and Economic History of the Roman Empire"