Peasants, citizens and soldiers: studies in the demographic history of roman italy 225 bc?ad 100

Re-assesses the military, social and economic history of Roman Italy from the angle of population history. Aimed at ancient historians and archaeologists, this book argues that Republican Rome had a unique demographic system which made it possible for it to recover quickly from large-scale losses of manpowerand that the establishment of the pax Romana resulted in fast population growth. Aimed at ancient historians and archaeologists, this book argues that Republican Rome had a unique demographic system which made it possible for it to recover quickly from large-scale losses of manpower and that the establishment of the pax Romana resulted in fast population growth. Recent years have witnessed an intense debate concerning the size of the population of Roman Italy. This book argues that the combined literary, epigraphic and archaeological evidence supports the theory that early-imperial Italy had about six million inhabitants. At the same time the traditional view that the last century of the Republic witnessed a decline in the free Italian population is shown to be untenable. The main foci of its six chapters are: military participation rates; demographic recovery after the Second Punic War; the spread of slavery and the background to the Gracchan land reforms; the fast expansion of Italian towns afterthe Social War; emigration from Italy; and the fate of the Italian populationduring the first 150 years of the Principate. INDICE: 1. Evidence, theories and models in Roman population history; 2. The Polybian manpower figures and the size of the Italian population on the eveof the Hannibalic War; 3. Census procedures and the meaning of the republicanand early-imperial census figures; 4. Peasants, citizens and soldiers, 201 BC–28 BC; 5. The Augustan census figures and Italy's urban network; 6. Survey archaeology and demographic developments in the Italian countryside.

• ISBN: 978-1-107-01318-6
• Editorial: Cambridge University
• Encuadernacion: Cartoné
• Páginas: 408
• Fecha Publicación: 05/04/2012
• Nº Volúmenes: 1
• Idioma: Inglés