Metropolis and Hinterland: The City of Rome and the Italian Economy, 200 BC-AD 200

by Neville Morley

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521893312
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	12/19/2002
Series:	City of Rome and the Italian Economy, 200 BC Ad 200
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.02(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.67(d)

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.

Editorial Reviews

"Morley presents his thesis clearly, logically, and persuasively. His arguments will give both primitives and modernists much to ponder..." R.I. Curtis, Choice

From the Publisher