Money, Exchange, and Power: Economy and Society in the Ancient Mediterranean World

From seaborne trade and banking to slavery and the impact of new technology, the economy of the ancient Mediterranean world constitutes a particularly dynamic field of study. To examine a society's underlying economics is to gain critical insight into those historical phenomena that are themselves the product of multiple, overlapping dimensions of human action and thought. This course engages directly with a fascinating array of primary evidence for economic behaviors, beliefs, structures, and institutions among the Romans, Greeks, and their neighbors. We will also explore the methodological challenges and implications of that evidence as well as a variety of modern theoretical approaches. This year our focus is mainly upon developments among the Greeks, ranging from the transformative invention of coinage to the rise of commercial networks centered around religious sanctuaries like Delos.PREREQ: CLA 341C OR 342C OR 345C OR 346C OR PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR.

Course Attributes: EN H; BU Hum; BU IS; AS HUM; AS LCD

Money, Exchange, and Power: Economy and Society in the Ancient Mediterranean World

CLASSICS 476

Section 01