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The Size of the Economy and the Distribution of Income in the Roman EmpireSteven J. Friesenaffiliation not provided to SSRN Walter ScheidelStanford University January 22, 2009 Abstract: Different ways of estimating the Gross Domestic Product of the Roman Empire in the second century CE produce convergent results that point to total output and consumption equivalent to 50 million tons of wheat or close to 20 billion sesterces per year. It is estimated that elites (around 1.5 per cent of the imperial population) controlled approximately one-fifth of total income while middling households (perhaps 10 percent of the population) consumed another fifth. These findings shed new light on the scale of economic inequality and the distribution of demand in the Roman world.
Number of Pages in PDF File: 34 Keywords: Roman economy, Roman GDP, Roman inequality JEL Classification: N10, N13, O11 working papers seriesDate posted: November 14, 2008 ; Last revised: January 25, 2009Suggested CitationContact Information
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