Steven J. R. Ellis

Steven J. R. Ellis

National Endowment for the Humanities/Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Post-Doctoral Rome Prize
7 settembre 2012–5 agosto 2013
Professione
Assistant Professor, Department of Classics, University of Cincinnati
Titolo del progetto
The Roman Retail Industry: A Contextual and Interdisciplinary Approach to its History and Socioeconomic Role in the Shaping of Roman Urban Space
Descrizione del progetto

The principal outcome of my project is the publication of a groundbreaking book on the history of the Roman retail industry. This book, Retailing in the Roman World, applies a series of sophisticated analyses—including statistical, interdisciplinary, and historically contextualized approaches—to an unprecedented range of retail spaces from across the Roman world.  A central aim of the book is to recognize how the economic portfolios of sub-elites were shaped by broader historical developments across Italy and the Mediterranean, while also illustrating how sub-elites could actively participate in the organization of Roman urban space. An especially original contribution of this research is its use of invaluable evidence from my archaeological excavation of twenty shops at Roman Pompeii. This book will ultimately unlock the full potential of the Roman retail industry for enlightening urban, cultural, and economic studies of the Roman world.