Commerce in the Late Antique West - Approaches to Analyse Trade Networks in Times of Change

Discussion of the economic developments in the Roman Empire and its successor kingdoms during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages has long engaged scholars, generating a range of evolving perspectives. A series of case studies sheds light on economic developments in specific regions – Tripolitania, coastal western Hispania, Rome and the Upper Adriatic, as well as northern Gaul with the imperial residence at Trier. The artefacts examined include finewares, cooking wares, lamps, and amphorae, as well as glass and millstones. These studies reveal a world of dynamic networks, shifting trade routes, and enduring commercial connectivity and address broader questions that remain relevant today: how economic regions emerge and dissolve, how supply chains react to political disruption, and how local production interacts with long-distance trade in times of profound change.