This is the first book to present a synthetic view of Roman banking and financial life from the fourth century BC to the end of the third century AD. It describes the business deals of the elite and the professional bankers and the interventions of the state. It shows to what extent the spirit of profit and enterprise predominated over the traditional values of Rome, what economic role these financiers played, and how that role compares with that of their later counterparts.
Reviews
'... a nice new interpretation of tesserae nummulariae, Roman interest rates, the rarity of state intervention in financial matters, and lack of public borrowing ... will inject new life into anglophone teaching and study of the Roman economy.' Journal of Roman Studies
