The Economics of the Roman Stone Trade

by: Russell, B.

The Economics of the Roman Stone Trade
Ben Russell
Examines all aspects of the Roman stone trade
Covers all areas of the Roman world
Provides detailed and complete maps of quarrying sites and shipwrecks
Illustrated throughout

Description
The use of stone in vast quantities is a ubiquitous and defining feature of the material culture of the Roman world. In this volume, Russell provides a new and wide-ranging examination of the production, distribution, and use of carved stone objects throughout the Roman world, including how enormous quantities of high-quality white and polychrome marbles were moved all around the Mediterranean to meet the demand for exotic material.

The long-distance supply of materials for artistic and architectural production, not to mention the trade in finished objects like statues and sarcophagi, is one of the most remarkable features of the Roman world. Despite this, it has never received much attention in mainstream economic studies. Focusing on the market for stone and its supply, the administration, distribution, and chronology of quarrying, and the practicalities of stone transport, Russell offers a detailed assessment of the Roman stone trade and how the relationship between producer and customer functioned even over considerable distances.

Table of Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Abbreviations
Note to the Reader
1:Introduction
2:The Market for Stone
3:Quarrying
4:Stone Transport
5:Distribution Patterns
6:Building and Stone Supply
7:The Sarcophagus Trade
8:Statue Production
9:Final Remarks
Bibliography
Index

The Economics of the Roman Stone Trade

by: Russell, B.

• ISBN-13: 9780198841753 / 978-0-19-884175-3
• ISBN-03: 0198841752 / 0-19-884175-2
• Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2019