Eastern Wines on Western Tables : Consumption, Trade and Economy in Ancient Italy

Eastern Wines on Western Tables: Consumption, Trade and Economy in Ancient Italy is an interdisciplinary and multifaceted study concerning wine commerce and the Roman economy during Classical antiquity. Wine was one of the main consumption goods in the Mediterranean during antiquity, and the average Roman adult male probably consumed between 0,5 - 1 litre of it per day. It is therefore clear that the production and trading of wine was essential for the Roman economy. This book demonstrates that wines from the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean region in particular, played a crucial part in wine commerce. Moreover, it sheds new light on economic dilemmas that have long puzzled scholars, such as growth and market integration during antiquity. ‎Contents 7 ‎Acknowledgements 9 ‎Figures and Tables 11 ‎In Search of Lost Wines: Perspectives and Limits 15 ‎1. History of Investigations 22 ‎2. Sources and Methodology 27 ‎3. Pros and Cons of an Interdisciplinary Approach 41 ‎4. Synopsis 41 ‎Chapter 1. Vinum contra temetum: the Role of Wines from the Eastern Mediterranean in the Origins of Viticulture and Winemaking in Italy 46 ‎1. From vitis sylvestris to vitis domestica 47 ‎2. Wine: A Local Invention or a Foreign Influence? 52 ‎3. The Beginnings of the Consumption of Wines from the Eastern Mediterranean 61 ‎4. The Economic Transformation of Italy during the 5th and 4th c. BC 66 ‎5. Eastern Wines in Italy: Types and Chronology 76 ‎6. Conclusions 88 ‎Chapter 2. De gustibus disputandum est—‘Fame’ or Ordinary Wines? 90 ‎1. In Search of Lost Tastes—Wines in Classical Antiquity 91 ‎2. Republican Wines of Some Repute 101 ‎3. Imperial Common Imports 114 ‎4. Epigraphic Enigmas 125 ‎5. Conclusions 134 ‎Chapter 3. Mass or Limited? Wine Importations to Italy during the Early Imperial Age 142 ‎1. Roma—the Eternal City 148 ‎2. Campania felix 160 ‎3. Portus and Its Neighbourhood 169 ‎4. Adriatic Italy 177 ‎5. ORBIS Transport Costs and Wine Importations 190 ‎6. Conclusions 193 ‎Chapter 4. Aristocratic Luxuries or Mass Beverages? 200 ‎1. Luxuries for the Elite 202 ‎2. Wines for Common People 212 ‎3. Conclusions 223 ‎Chapter 5. Petty Traders or Wealthy Wholesalers? Who Imported Wines to Italy? 225 ‎1. Free Romans and Local Elites 230 ‎2. Italian Freedmen 235 ‎3. Free Greeks, Slaves and Greeks with Roman Citizenship 246 ‎4. Incerti 252 ‎5. Conclusions 258 ‎Chapter 6. Twilight or Bloom? Eastern Mediterranean Wines in Italy during Late Antiquity 268 ‎1. Amphoras or Barrels? 268 ‎2. Late Roman Wines in the Urbs 273 ‎3. Late Roman Wines in Adriatic Italy 280 ‎4. ORBIS Transport Costs and Wine Importations 284 ‎5. Conclusions 285 ‎Conclusions. The Economics of the Wine Trade 293 ‎Appendix 1. Catalogue of Greek and Latin Texts That Mention Wines from the Eastern Mediterranean 301 ‎Appendix 2. List of Authors That Mention Eastern Mediterranean Wines Quoted by Athenaeus 310 ‎Appendix 3. Catalogue of Amphoras Classified as Wine Containers Discovered in Italy between the 1st c. BC and Late Antiquity 312 ‎Bibliography 336 ‎Index of Ancient Sources 380 ‎Index of Names and Subjects 382 "Eastern Wines on Western Tables: Consumption, Trade and Economy in Ancient Italy is an interdisciplinary and multifaceted study concerning wine commerce and the Roman economy during Classical antiquity. Wine was one of the main consumption goods in the Mediterranean during antiquity, and the average Roman adult male probably consumed between 0,5-1 litre of it per day. It is therefore clear that the production and trading of wine was essential for the Roman economy. This book demonstrates that wines from the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean region in particular, played a crucial part in wine commerce. Moreover, it sheds new light on economic dilemmas that have longpuzzled scholars, such as growth and market integration during antiquity"-- Provided by publisher