THE ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCEOF ANATOLIA IN THE ROMANEMPIRE: TRADE, AGRICULTURE,AND URBAN CENTERS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14795/jaha.12.2.2025.1197Abstract
This paper investigates the profound economic significance of Anatolia within the Roman Empire, focusing on the interconnected dynamics of trade, agriculture, and urban centers. Covering the period from the Roman integration process, beginning in the 2nd century BCE, through Late Antiquity, this study argues that Anatolia was not merely a passive periphery but a vital economic engine, contributing significantly to the Empire's stability and prosperity. Employing an interdisciplinary methodology that synthesizes archaeological evidence (including survey data, excavation reports, archaeometry), epigraphic records, numismatic findings, and ancient textual sources, the paper analyzes Anatolia's strategic geographical position as a commercial nexus, its diverse and abundant agricultural production, catering to both regional and imperial needs (including the annona and military supply), and its highly urbanized landscape, facilitating complex patterns of manufacturing production, finance, and consumption. The analysis highlights regional variations, drawing on analytical frameworks for Roman Eastern economic structures (Pereira 2005), the crucial role of infrastructure (roads, ports), the integration mechanisms (taxation, coinage, Roman law) within the broader context of Roman provincial economic systems (Ionescu 2013), and the interplay between imperial policies and local initiatives (e.g., euergetism, collegia). Specific studies on the Roman economy in Anatolia (Alexandri 2008) are integrated to provide detailed insights. Comparative perspectives, drawing methodological insights from studies on other provinces like Dacia, particularly concerning monetary circulation (e.g., Găzdac 2010), are also considered. The paper concludes that Anatolia's rich natural resources, sophisticated urban networks, and extensive trade connections rendered it an indispensable economic powerhouse within the Roman world, demonstrating remarkable resilience and adaptability even through periods of crisis.
Keywords
Anatolia Romană, Economie Romană, Comerț Antic, Agricultură Romană, Urbanism Roman, Economie Provincială, Integrare Economică, Asia Minor, Circulație Monetară, Studii Provinciale Comparative, Structuri Economice Romane.
Downloads
References
AKŞİT 2008
Akşit, İ., Anadolu Uygarlıkları ve Türkiye'nin Antik Kentleri (Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı).
ANDREAU 2010
Andreau, J., L'économie du monde romain (Paris: Éditions Ellipses).
BÂLTÂC 2011
Bâltâc, A., Economia provincială romană: Aspecte ale vieții economice în provinciile Dacia și Moesia Inferior (București: Editura Academiei Române).
BEZECZKY 2013
Bezeczky, T., The Amphorae of Roman Ephesus (Vienna: Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften).
BLACKMAN 1982
Blackman, D.J., Ancient Harbours in the Mediterranean. Part 1 & 2, The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology and Underwater Exploration 11/2, 79-104; 11/3, 185-211.
BRANDT/KOLB 2005
Brandt, H./Kolb, F., Lycia et Pamphylia: Eine römische Provinz im Südwesten Kleinasiens (Mainz: Philipp von Zabern).
BRESSON 2016
Bresson, A., L'économie de la Grèce des cités (Paris: Armand Colin).
BURRELL 2004
Burrell, B., Neokoroi: Greek Cities and Roman Emperors (Leiden: Brill).
CASSIUS DIO
Cassius Dio, Romaika (Roman History).
COLUMELLA
Columella, De Re Rustica (On Agriculture).
CRAWFORD 1996
Crawford, J.S., The Byzantine Shops at Sardis (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press).
ERDKAMP 2005
Erdkamp, P., The Grain Market in the Roman Empire: A Social, Political and Economic Study (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
FINLEY 1973
Finley, M. I., The Ancient Economy (Berkeley: University of California Press).
FORBES 1955
Forbes, R. J., Studies in Ancient Technology III (Leiden: Brill).
FRENCH 1980
French, D.H., The Roman Road System of Asia Minor. In: Temporini, H./Haase, W. (eds.), Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt II.7.2 (Berlin: De Gruyter), 698 –729.
GĂZDAC 2010
Găzdac, C., Circulația monetară în Dacia și provinciile învecinate de la Traian la Constantin I (Cluj-Napoca: Editura Mega).
GĂZDAC/ALFÖLDY-GĂZDAC 2008
Găzdac, C./Alföldy-Găzdac, Á., The Ancient History of Transylvania through Coins (Cluj-Napoca: Editura Mega).
GIANFROTTA/POMEY 1981
Gianfrotta, P./Pomey, P., Archeologia subacquea: Storia, tecniche, scoperte e relitti (Milano: Mondadori).
HALFMANN 2001
Halfmann, H., Städtebau und Bauherren im römischen Kleinasien: Ein Vergleich zwischen Pergamon und Ephesos (Tübingen: Ernst Wasmuth).
HOWGEGO 1995
Howgego, Ch., Ancient History from Coins (London - New-York: Routledge).
IONESCU 2013
Ionescu, D., Economic Systems in the Ancient Roman Provinces (Cluj-Napoca: Babeș-Bolyai University Press).
JONES 1971
Jones, A.H.M., The Cities of the Eastern Roman Provinces (Oxford: Clarendon Press).
JONES 1974
Jones, A.H.M., The Roman Economy: Studies in Ancient Economic and Administrative History (edited by P.A. Brunt) (Oxford: Blackwell).
KAYA 2005
Kaya, M.A., Anadolu'da Roma Eyaletleri: Augustus Dönemi (İstanbul: Tarih & Tarih Vakfı Yayınları).
KOLB 2010
Kolb, F., Wirtschaftliche Strukturen in Kleinasien in der Römerzeit (Berlin: De Gruyter).
LAES 2018
Laes, C. (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Rome (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
LEVEAU 2007
Leveau, P., Les campagnes de la Méditerranée romaine (Aix-en-Provence: Éditions Errance).
MAREK 2010
Marek, C., Geschichte Kleinasiens in der Antike (München: C.H. Beck).
MATTINGLY/SALMON 2001
Mattingly, D.J./Salmon, J. (eds.), Economies Beyond Agriculture in the Classical World (London: Routledge).
MEIGGS 1973
Meiggs, R., Roman Ostia (Oxford: Clarendon Press).
MEIGGS 1982
Meiggs, R., Trees and Timber in the Ancient Mediterranean World (Oxford: Clarendon Press).
METCALF 2012
Metcalf, W.E. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Coinage (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
MITCHELL 1993
Mitchell, S., Anatolia: Land, Men, and Gods in Asia Minor (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
ΜΠΟΥΡΑΣ 2001
Μπούρας, Χ., Οικονομικές δομές στις ρωμαϊκές επαρχίες της Μικράς Ασίας (Αθήνα: Καρδαμίτσα).
ÖZTÜRK 2013
Öztürk, B., Roma İmparatorluk Çağında Anadolu Kentleri (İstanbul: Bilge Kültür Sanat).
ΠΑΠΑΔΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ 2007
Παπαδόπουλος, Ν., Η οικονομία των ρωμαϊκών πόλεων στη Μικρά Ασία (Θεσσαλονίκη: Εκδόσεις Βάνιας).
PETOLESCU 2014
Petolescu, C.C., Dacia: Un mileniu de istorie (București: Editura Academiei Române).
PLINIUS
Plinius (Elder), Naturalis Historia (Natural History).
RATTÉ/SMITH 2008
Ratté, C./Smith, R.R.R. (eds.), Aphrodisias Papers 4: New Research on the City and its Monuments, Journal of Roman Archaeology Supplement Series 70 (Portsmouth, RI: Journal of Roman Archaeology).
RUSU-BOLINDEȚ 2007
Rusu-Bolindeț, V., Ceramica romană de la Napoca (Cluj-Napoca: Editura Mega).
SARTRE 1991
Sartre, M., L'Orient romain: Provinces et sociétés provinciales en Méditerranée orientale d'Auguste aux Sévères (Paris: Éditions du Seuil).
SAYAR 2000
Sayar, M.H., Kilikya: Arkeolojisi, Ekonomisi ve Tarihi (İstanbul: TEBE Yayınları).
SCHEIDEL/MORRIS/SALLER 2007
Scheidel, W./Morris, I./Saller, R. (eds.), The Cambridge Economic History of the Greco-Roman World (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
SCHERRER et alii 2000
Scherrer, P. et alii, Ephesus: The New Guide (Istanbul: Ege Yayınları).
STRABON
Strabon, Geographika (Geography).
TEMIN 2013
Temin, P., The Roman Market Economy (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press).
VEYNE 1990
Veyne, P., Bread and Circuses: Historical Sociology and Political Pluralism (London: Penguin Books).
VIRGILIO 2003
Virgilio, B., Lancia, diadema e porpora: Il re e la regalità ellenistica (Pisa: Giardini).
VITRUVIUS
Vitruvius, De Architectura (On Architecture).
WAELKENS 2006
Waelkens, M., Sagalassos: First General Report on the Survey and Excavation Campaigns of 1986-1989 (Leuven: Leuven University Press).
WHITTAKER 1993
Whittaker, C.R., Land, City and Trade in the Roman Empire (Aldershot: Variorum).
WILSON 2002
Wilson, A., Machines, Power and the Ancient Economy, Journal of Roman Studies 92, 1 –32.
WILSON 2009
Wilson, A., Approaches to Quantifying Roman Trade. In: Bowman, A./Wilson, A. (eds.), Quantifying the Roman Economy: Methods and Problems (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 213 –249.
ZACCARIA RUGGIU 2006
Zaccaria Ruggiu, A., Spazio privato e spazio pubblico nella città romana (Roma: École Française de Rome).
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 JOURNAL OF ANCIENT HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal, we use CC BY-NC-ND license (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs) wich only allowing others to download your works and share them with others as long as they credit you, but they can’t change them in any way or use them commercially.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
