Capital in Classical Antiquity

This book discusses the extent to which Thomas Piketty’s work can offer a model for ancient economic history, both methodologically and politically. The book derives from a research workshop in Berlin in April 2018, which brought together a group of established and early career scholars to discuss the implications of Piketty’s work and related themes for classical antiquity. Key questions reflected in the text include:d: How should we characterise the ‘development’ of the economy/economies of the classical Mediterranean, in relation to the role of ‘capital’ and the prevalence of inequality? How was wealth, both public and private, evaluated and managed? How much of the wealth of their society did the ancient 1% control – and is their dominance better understood in terms of the power of capital, or the role of predation and state capture? How far did certain ancient polities – above all the Greek city-states – succeed in placing limits on the power of the rich and integrating their interests with those of the masses? Did inequality increase between the height of the Roman Principate and late antiquity, as is often believed? This book will be valuable reading for academics and students working in economic history, ancient history, and other related fields.

Max Koedijk has recently completed his PhD at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, focusing on the exchange of property in the late Roman Republic. His research interests include real estate markets, incentive- and information-structures, and evolutionary models, especially relating to status-seeking behaviour.
Neville Morley is Professor of Classics & Ancient History at the University of Exeter, UK. His research ranges from the economic and social history of classical antiquity, including urbanisation, slavery, trade and agriculture, to the modern reception of the ancient world in the social sciences, especially the influence of the Greek historian Thucydides in historiography and political thought.