Money and Inequality in Roman Mediterranean Gaul, ca. 125 B.C.–A.D. 100

Summary

The Roman conquest of Mediterranean Gaul between 125-121 B.C. significantly altered the Celtic societies living in the region. Two of these dramatic transformations were the increasing use of coins in economic transactions, and a marked rise in socio-economic inequality within the conquered province. This paper examines the connections in Roman Mediterranean Gaul of the first century B.C. through the first century A.D. between the emergence of a monetized economy, debt, and increased socio-economic hierarchy, concentrating on the ancient settlement of Lattara (today modern Lattes in the région of Occitanie of France). Although coins, mainly from the Greek colony of Massalia (modern Marseille), were already present before the conquest, their use appears to have been limited. After the Roman conquest, the (at least partial) monetization of the local economy at Celtic settlements in Roman Mediterranean Gaul like Lattara significantly transformed notions of wealth and value, with a new interchangeability of wealth emerging. Combined with the colonial trauma of land confiscations and enslavement, this interchangeability of wealth allowed for the increasing concentration of wealth in an increasingly smaller number of individuals, holding ever more social power of others.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20761