The Economics of the Roman Stone Trade

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.


Author: Ben Russell
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 10/15/2019
Pages: 480
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.60lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780198841753

About the Author

Ben Russell, Senior Lecturer in Classical Archaeology, School of History, Classics & Archaeology, University of Edinburgh

Ben Russell is a Senior Lecturer in Classical Archaeology in the School of History, Classics, & Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh.