AIAS Project 

The issue of the economic behaviour of ancient cities has been a controversial subject within the field of ancient economics. Although in the past three decades there has been an increasing amount of literature on ancient economic studies, hitherto only a small number of ancient cities have been studied to question the old and new approaches and determine the dynamics of the urban economy in the Roman World. Few monographs devoted to examine the economy of a particular city have come into existence. Therefore, this project intends to give an account of the old and new approaches to the ancient economy to delineate an appropriate perspective on the cases of the Galatian cities in Central Anatolia during the Roman period. The project examines the resources, self-sufficiency, commercial commodities, trading activities, mobility and the level of connectivity of Roman Ancyra, Pessinus, Tavium and Germa where excavations and surveys have been carried out. These case studies should encourage other case studies to reveal the dynamics of urban economies under the Roman Empire. 

Short bio

Hale Güney is an ancient historian whose research and teaching interest include ancient economy, ancient numismatics, Greek epigraphy and Roman Asia Minor. During her MA and PhD studies, she specialised in ancient economy and numismatics. Since 2014 she has been conducting an epigraphic survey in the east of the province of Eskişehir in central Anatolia in Turkey. Within a broader geographical scope and historical context, her project at AIAS has examined the economy and connectivity of Galatian cities.