On November 9, 2017, Thursday, Professor of Classics and History, Taco Terpstra, from Northwestern University talked on “Trade in the Ancient Mediterranean: Private Order and Public Institutions.”

Long-term archaeological data indicate that the ancient world, c.700 BCE – CE 700 went through a period of economic expansion and contraction. This period coincides with a time of pronounced state formation and consolidation, followed by collapse, leading to the question of what influence states had on economic development. The paper will argue that although states did not enforce property rights, they built institutions that were conducive to growth, especially the growth of long-distance trade.

Sponsored by: The Interdisciplinary Studies Division; Center for Global Education; Departments of Anthropology, Art and Visual Culture, and History; Asian Studies, Religious Studies, and Classical and Medieval Studies.