Money and prices in the Early Roman Empire

Description

We examine monetization in the early Roman Empire by considering money as a unit of account. Widespread use of prices indicates widespread monetization. A consistent set of prices for wheat indicates that this monetization encouraged trade to grow across the Mediterranean. This argument is documented with a statistical test, preceded by a non-technical introduction and followed by consideration of a range of possible objections. Keywords: money, monetization, international trade, regression analysis, early Roman Empire. JEL Classifications: N13, F14, C10.