Kevin Greene shows how archaeology can help provide a more balanced view of the Roman economy by informing the classical historian about geographical areas and classes of society that received little attention from the largely aristocratic classical writers whose work survives.

Kevin Greene is Lecturer in Archaeology at theUniversity of Newcastle.

“The best archaeological study of an ancient state economy yet published.”—Annual Review of Anthropology

"Greene hopes to interest historians of all periods in the contributions archaeology can make to economic history; he is careful to quiet the fears of economic historians that materialist approaches must be reductionist. . . . Few books will do more to move economics out of the illustrated interlude chapters of the standard texts into the central discussions of periodization and causation."—Phyllis Culham, Classical World

"The book is very well illustrated, the bibliography is extensive and up-to-date; Greene's discussion is a sympathetic and largely jargon-free exposition of what the 'new archaeology' has achieved."—Bruce W. Frier, American Journal of Archaeology

"Deserves a wide readership: for professionals, it should help to promote better mutual understanding between classicists and archaeologists."—K. D. White, The Classical Review

Special Commendation, The World Archaeological Society