3 ms·
Here is another list, a bit different, with more goods and professions and with some additional commentary (though based on the same historical source): http:/
by bd 18y ago
Here is another list, a bit different, with more goods and professions and with some additional commentary (though based on the same historical source):
http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/edict/ http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/edict/
There is some interesting information, for example about soldiers pay and costs, exchange rates or about a death penalty for refusing to sell goods at the stated price.
Also silk prices have been crazy: 12,000 denarii for a libra of white silk and a whopping 150,000 denarii for a purple silk (use of which was regulated by the Emperor with misuse punishable by a death penalty).
- pg 18y agoIncidentally, that site is wrong about why silk was so expensive. The problem was not lack of machines, but that in Roman times it was imported overland from China.
- bd 18y agoIndeed, in these times China had a monopoly for silk production [1]. It would be also interesting to know prices of spices, other luxury product driving international trade in ancient times [2]. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_silk http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_silk [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incense_Route http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incense_Route, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road