Approaching the Roman Economy

Scheidel, Walter

doi:10.2139/ssrn.1663560

Cited by 6 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 97 publications

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“…In line with our understanding of the Roman grain economy (Erdkamp, 2005;Scheidel, 2010), our network is demand driven with each VW-poor node (nodes with a VW deficit) individually demanding VW from linked VW-rich nodes. That is to say, our network simulates a hierarchical grain supply system whereby urban centres ensure supplies through taxation in kind, constrained by the struggle against distance (Braudel, 1995).…”

Section: Simulating Virtual Water Redistributionmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…In the preindustrial period, the Roman Empire was likely the greatest exponent of virtual water trade as evidenced by the widespread trade in water resources, and particularly grain, throughout the Mediterranean and Black Sea region (Erdkamp, 2005;Kessler and Temin, 2007;Rickman, 1980;Scheidel, 2010). Supplying the main cities of the Empire with sufficient grain was one of the principal preoccupations of the ruling elite throughout the lifetime of the Republic and Empire, to the extent that a stable supply of grain to the city of Rome became personified by the deity Anonna (Mazoyer and Roudart, 2006;Rickman, 1980).…”

Section: B J Dermody Et Al: a Virtual Water Network Of The Roman Wmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within the Roman Empire few artificial trade barriers existed, instead the redistribution of VW was driven by satisfying demand of urban centres from regions with a surplus principally by means of tributary donations (tax-in-kind in the form of grain) (Erdkamp, 2005;Scheidel, 2010;Temin, 2012).…”

Section: B J Dermody Et Al: a Virtual Water Network Of The Roman Wmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, our simulations using a cost-distance-based network show that increased demand arising from urbanization caused an increase in average import distance and an associated increase in import costs. It is plausible that lower water resource redundancy and increased import costs may have been a contributing factor to the third century crisis which followed a period of population growth, urbanization and trade in the second century AD (Parker, 1992;Scheidel, 2010).…”

Section: Roman Water Resource Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A virtual water network of the Roman world

Dermody

Beek

Meeks

et al. 2014

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. The Romans were perhaps the most impressive exponents of water resource management in preindustrial times with irrigation and virtual water trade facilitating unprecedented urbanization and socioeconomic stability for hundreds of years in a region of highly variable climate. To understand Roman water resource management in response to urbanization and climate variability, a Virtual Water Network of the Roman World was developed. Using this network we find that irrigation and virtual water trade increased Roman resilience to interannual climate variability. However, urbanization arising from virtual water trade likely pushed the Empire closer to the boundary of its water resources, led to an increase in import costs, and eroded its resilience to climate variability in the long term. In addition to improving our understanding of Roman water resource management, our cost-distance-based analysis illuminates how increases in import costs arising from climatic and population pressures are likely to be distributed in the future global virtual water network.

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Section: Simulating Virtual Water Redistributionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Section: B J Dermody Et Al: a Virtual Water Network Of The Roman Wmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: B J Dermody Et Al: a Virtual Water Network Of The Roman Wmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Roman Water Resource Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

A virtual water network of the Roman world

Dermody

Beek

Meeks

et al. 2014

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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show abstract

“…44 The stochastic effect of these pandemic outbreaks on the balance between population and resources is likely to have affected the economic history of the Roman Empire. 45 A third avenue to link the decline of the western Roman Empire to climatic change is through the migration movements of non-Roman groups into the Empire during the early to mid-first millennium CE. Invasions by the Huns and other "barbarian" groups are widely accepted to have played a prominent role in late Roman history.…”

Section: Climate Fluctuation During the European Migration Periodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Some Perspectives on Societal Impacts of Past Climatic Changes

Díaz

2014

History Compass

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We examine a range of paleoclimatic evidence covering approximately the last 2000 years (the Common Era) to provide plausible environmental scenarios as potential drivers and stressors associated with major societal disruption in different parts of the world. The period studied covers both historical, for which there is documentary evidence of impacts, and prehistorical events, for which impacts are inferred from the archeological record. Drought appears to be the most common high-impact stressor in the historical and prehistorical records. Clearly, the adequacy of water supplies for growing food and for an array of other uses is a thread that weaves its way across time and societies.We also briefly outline some of the key physical mechanisms leading to climatic changes of a magnitude that could have led to societal disruptions. These include solar variability and large explosive volcanic eruptions, both of which affect the amount of radiant energy available to the Earth's climate system, as well as the natural internal variability of the climate system.We emphasize that climatic changes alone are unlikely to be the sole determinant cause of a given society's response -whether abandonment of settlements or bellicose action against its own members or neighbors. Often, the natural hazard is simply a catalyst for actions whose groundwork had been set in motion for some time prior. In many cases, appropriate mitigation to reduce vulnerability and efforts to enhance a society's adaptive capacity might have been enough to prevent the most extreme consequences of the nature's extremes. In that vein, we point to current conditions in the western United States, where a complex mix of past and current actions together with a rapidly changing climate are causing a plethora of problems whose solution will demand creative collaborative actions at all levels of society.Evidence of the influence of climatic variability and change in human affairs is as old as the available history of human kind. 1 In recent decades, interest in documenting and understanding possible links between climate variability and societal responses has been heightened by the rise of concern for the effects of anthropogenic climate change (also commonly referred to as global warming). 2 The rapid warming and extreme weather being experienced in many parts of the world 3 have led many to look to the past for clues of potential future impacts of global warming 4 while at the same time focusing on human activities that may have enhanced their vulnerability to climatic extremes. 5 We note that there are many published works that cover the general topic of environmental changes leading to various degrees of impacts on societies past and present. 6 These and many other works amply demonstrate that societal responses to environmental stressors are rarely, if ever, linear. Human societies are complex systems that may or may not respond to those stressors in appropriate and effective ways. Our goals for writing this article are twofold. We highlight some recent pa...

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The Wider Background of the Second Transition in Europe

Koepke

2014

Modern Environments and Human Health

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Approaching the Roman Economy

Cited by 6 publications

References 97 publications

A virtual water network of the Roman world

A virtual water network of the Roman world

Some Perspectives on Societal Impacts of Past Climatic Changes

The Wider Background of the Second Transition in Europe

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