Andrew Wilson (Oxford): Division of Labor and Mass Production in the Roman Economy

This paper challenges the widespread view that ‘The Romans never developed systems of manufacture which substantially cut the costs of production through economies of scale or capital investment in equipment’ (Keith Hopkins). It reviews ancient texts on the division of labor and then uses archaeological evidence to develop the picture which the ancient sources hint at, investigating the scale and nature of production units, and how labor was organized within them.

College, Oxford (since 2004). His research focuses on the Roman economy, ancient technology, urbanism and settlement. He is co-director (with Alan Bowman) of the Oxford Roman Economy Project (OxREP), and (with Chris Howgego) of the OxREP-Ashmolean Coin Hoards of the Roman Empire project; and he is also Principal Investigator of the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa project (EAMENA).