Trade and commerce in Rome’s hinterland in the early and middle Republican period: Material culture approaches

Abstract

The thesis argues that production and trade have been more significant than previous been recognised in the development of the ager Veientanus. Chapter 1 introduces the topic of my research and significance of my work within the Etruscan studies. The geographical area of interest and the chronology are defined, by giving particular emphasis to the historical events which involved Veii and Rome (analysed in details in the Appendix A). Chapter 2 draws the main lines of studies on the ancient trade in three main sections from the macro to the micro scale (Mediterranean, Etruscan, and Veii) and demonstrates the lack of studies on Veientine trade. Chapter 3 exposes the economic potentials of the landscape of the ager Veientanus, indicates possible goods of the commerce, and enhances the geographical features, which can better explain the development, the economy, and then the trade of Veii. Chapter 4 focuses on the methodology and results of the research at Veii, which are addressed by comparison, integration, and updating of the South Etruria Survey with more recent surveys and excavations. Chapter 5 shows the results of my new analysis of finds and my interpretation of the South Etruria Survey areas (described in detail in the Appendix B). Chapter 6 represents the heart of the research, by presenting the results achieved on the topic using landscape and ecology as the preconditions of trade in the ager Veientanus, products of the territory as possible exchange goods, structures and infrastructure connected to them, and finished products. Broader issues such as the scale of trade, the social aspects related to it, with particular attention to the protagonists of the trade and to the organization of the territory in a productive and therefore commercial key have been addressed here. This chapter enhanced also the issue about the port of Veii and the important role of the aristocracy in the management of both the exploitation of the ager Veientanus and the trade of Veii. Chapter 7 enhanced the contribution of the material culture approaches to understanding the trade of Veii and proposed future possible strategies of research.
Keywords: trade, Veii, ager Veientanus, landscape, ecology, survey, port, products.

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