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The Stakes of Cliometrics in Ancient History

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  • Claude Diebolt

    (University of Strasbourg, France.)

Abstract

According to Finley, markets and economic motivations played little, if any, role in ancient economies. Status and civic ideology governed the allocation of scarce resources. Hence, the application of economic theory to the ancient economy was at best a futile exercise and at worst a source of grave misunderstandings. Temin’s seminal and continued contributions to the field lead to the opposite conclusion and, as in the myth of Sisyphus, the boulder seems again to be at the bottom of the hill! My feeling is that the Gordian knot remains the same now as over the past decades: should cliometrics be used in the social sciences/humanities in general, and ancient history especially?

Suggested Citation

  • Claude Diebolt, 2009. "The Stakes of Cliometrics in Ancient History," Working Papers 09-12, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC).
    • Handle: RePEc:afc:wpaper:09-12
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    File URL: http://www.cliometrie.org/images/wp/AFC_WP_12-2009.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gregory Clark, 2007. "A Review of Avner Greif's Institutions and the Path to the Modern Economy: Lessons from Medieval Trade," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 45(3), pages 725-741, September.
    2. Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson & James A. Robinson, 2001. "The Colonial Origins of Comparative Development: An Empirical Investigation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(5), pages 1369-1401, December.
    3. Paul A. David, 2011. "Path Dependence: A Foundational Concept for Historical Social Science," Chapters, in: Peer Zumbansen & Gralf-Peter Calliess (ed.), Law, Economics and Evolutionary Theory, chapter 4, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    4. Y.M. Sharaiha & J.E. Beasley, 1999. "Foreword," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 86(0), pages 0, January.
    5. Greif, Avner, 1993. "Contract Enforceability and Economic Institutions in Early Trade: the Maghribi Traders' Coalition," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(3), pages 525-548, June.
    6. Jean-Luc Demeulemeester & Claude Diebolt, 2007. "How much could economics gain from history: the contribution of cliometrics," Cliometrica, Journal of Historical Economics and Econometric History, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC), vol. 1(1), pages 7-17, April.
    7. Greif,Avner, 2006. "Institutions and the Path to the Modern Economy," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521480444, August.
    8. Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson & James Robinson, 2005. "The Rise of Europe: Atlantic Trade, Institutional Change, and Economic Growth," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(3), pages 546-579, June.
    9. Temin, Peter, 2002. "Price Behavior in Ancient Babylon," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 46-60, January.
    10. Peter Temin, 2001. "A Market Economy in the Early Roman Empire," Economics Series Working Papers 2001-W39, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    11. Dora Costa & Jean-Luc Demeulemeester & Claude Diebolt, 2007. "What is ‘Cliometrica’?," Cliometrica, Journal of Historical Economics and Econometric History, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC), vol. 1(1), pages 1-6, April.
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    2. Laurent Gauthier, 2025. "Epidemiological modeling of Romanization and Christianization in Ancient Greece," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 19(2), pages 421-444, May.

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