From Rome To Byzantium Trade And Continuity In The First Millennium Ad

This book comprises three closely related studies, namely 'The Nature of Trade in the Roman Mediterranean,c. 200 BC'AD 600'; 'Decline and Recovery: Byzantine Trade, c. 600'1150'; and 'Urban Change and Continuity in Roman and Byzantine Corinth'. In addition, a translation of the 'Rhodian Sea-Law', an important text for maritime trading history, is included as an appendix. 'From Rome to Byzantium' provides a detailed overview of trading activity in the Roman and Byzantine Mediterranean, grounded in recent archaeological research. In particular, it is argued that an element of 'free trade' played a significant role in the direction and nature of trading in Classical and Late Antiquity. It is also suggested that the so-called 'Dark Ages' of the seventh and eighth centuries saw more continuity in terms of both commercial activity and urban life than is sometimes admitted.