Trade, Commerce, and the State in the Roman World (October 1-3, 2009)

The fourth OXREP conference took place 1–3 October 2009 at the Ioannou Classics Centre and focused on trade, with sessions on institutions and government stimuli, trade within the empire, and trade across imperial boundaries. Speakers included Philip Kay, Alan Bowman, Boudewijn Sirks, Elio Lo Cascio, Jean-Jacques Aubert, Hannah Friedman, Salvatore Martino, Colin Adams, William Harris, Ivan Radman, Ben Russell, Emanuele Papi, Danièle Foy, Michael Fulford, Michel Bonifay, Paul Reynolds, Andrew Wilson, Dario Nappo, David Peacock, Barbara Davidde, Roberta Tomber, David Graf, Raffaela Pierobon Benoit, and David Mattingly.

Programme

Thursday 1 October 2009: Government intervention or stimulation through fiscal instruments, markets, subsidies for military, long-distance supply etc.
10:00–10:30	Coffee and registration
10:30–13:00	Morning session
	Philip Kay, Oxford — Financial institutions and structures in the last century of the Roman Republic
	Alan Bowman, Oxford — Taxation and fiscal controls
	Boudewijn Sirks, Oxford — Law, commerce, and finance
13:00–14:00	Lunch
14:00–15:30	Early-afternoon session
	Elio Lo Cascio, Rome Sapienza — Market regulation and transaction costs in the Roman Empire
	Jean-Jacques Aubert, Neuî?»âtel — respondent
	General discussion
15:30–16:00	Tea
16:00–18:00	Late-afternoon session
	Hannah Friedman, Oxford — Supplying the Faynan: local resources vs imperial will
	Salvatore Martino, Lecce — Transport in the Roman Mediterranean: an integrated system
	Colin Adams, Liverpool — respondent
18:00	Drinks
Friday 2 October 2009: Trade and manufacture within the empire.
9:00–10:30	Early-morning session
	William Harris, Columbia — Trade in timber under the Roman empire
	Ivan Radman, Arch. Mus. Zagreb — Prices and costs in the textile industry in the light of the lead tags from Siscia
10:30–11:00	Coffee
11:00–12:30	Late-morning session
	Ben Russell, Oxford — Moving mountains: contextualising the imperial stone trade •
	Emanuele Papi, Siena — Import and export in Mauretania Tingitana: the evidence from Thamusida
12:30–13:30	Lunch
13:30–15:00	Early-afternoon session
	Danièle Foy, Aix-Marseille/CNî?¬S — La circulation du verre en Méditerranée antique : matières premières, produits finis, vaisselle, vitres et contenants
	Michael Fulford, Reading — The pull of the north: Gallo-Roman sigillata in Britain in the 2nd and 3rd centuries
15:00–15:30	Tea
15:30–17:30	Late-afternoon session
	Michel Bonifay, Aix-Marseille/CNRS — The diffusion of African pottery under the Roman Empire: evidence and interpretation
	Paul Reynolds, Barcelona — Supply networks of the Roman East and West: interaction, fragmentation, and the origins of Byzantine economy
	Andrew Wilson, Oxford — respondent
17:30–18:00	General discussion
18:00	Drinks
Saturday 3 October 2009: Eastern and Red Sea trade, India, Arabia and the deserts.
9:30–11:00	Early-morning session
	Dario Nappo, Oxford — Cost, profit and figures in Red Sea trade
	David Peacock, Southampton — The Roman Red Sea ports and the Chinese connection.
11:00–11:30	Coffee
11:30–13:00	Late-morning session
	Barbara Davidde, ISCN Rome — The port of Qana, a junction point between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea: the underwater evidence
	Roberta Tomber, British Museum — respondent
13:00–14:00	Lunch
14:00–15:30	Early-afternoon session
	David Graf, Miami — The Silk Road between Syria and China
	Raffaela Pierobon Benoit, Naples Federico II — From Palmyra to Northern Mesopotamia: the archaeological evidence.
15:30–16:00	Tea
16:00–18:00	Late-afternoon session
	David Mattingly, Leicester — Rome and the Garamantes: practicalities and realities of Saharan trade
	Andrew Wilson, Oxford — closing responses
	General discussion
18:00	Drinks