Taco T Terpstra
Biographic Data
| ID | 5627950 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Taco T Terpstra |
| GIVEN NAMES | Taco T |
| FAMILY NAME | Terpstra |
| SIGNATURE | TERPSTRA T T |
| AFFILIATIONS | Northwestern University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1319-8824 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 24 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 47 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 24 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Power and Its Trappings in the Han and Roman Bureaucracies
The chapters assembled in this part turn to the key question of how the exercise of power was subject to a broad array of performative practices, in places as diverse as the administration of the state, public spectacles, agricultural production, and literature. Taco Terpstra kicks off with the performative dimension of statecraft. Due to their substantiated degree of structured hierarchies, standardized procedures, and the ability to employ offi…
Mediterranean Silver Production and the Site of Antas, Sardinia
The article traces the development of Mediterranean silver production from the Iron Age to the time of Rome, focusing on the site of Antas, Sardinia. Antas is located in a rich metalliferous area, which served as a source of lead and silver beyond the regional level. The article takes data on the exploitation of metal resources as a gauge for Mediterranean developments, especially state formation and the rise in maritime connectivity. Sardinian B…
The Imperial Cult and the Sacred Bonds of Roman Overseas Commerce
The emergence of the Imperial cult and its role in provincial diplomacy have been much studied by Roman scholarship. In general, the balance is tipped in favour of studies of public practice, although private practice has certainly also been on the scholarly agenda. However, the role of emperor worship in overseas commerce has received precious little attention. The evidence is admittedly thin (I lay no claim to being comprehensive in my treatmen…
Roman technological progress in comparative context
Epilogue
This epilogue addresses the weakening of the Roman state. In the third century CE, the Roman Empire began having trouble maintaining its geographical integrity, a problem that would grow noticeably worse thereafter. The split between an eastern and western half in 395 CE was the most dramatic manifestation of that decreasing ability. After the empire split in two, especially the west in the course of the fifth century saw the abandonment of perip…
Economic Trust and Religious Violence
This chapter explores the changing world of the fourth century CE, a time of social ferment heightened by the Roman emperors' adoption of Christianity as a religion of state. Although this shift followed a turn toward forced religious centralization initiated by the emperors during the crisis of the third century, the choice for Christianity represented a momentous departure from Roman tradition. The intolerance and violence it engendered upset t…
Public Institutions and Phoenician Trade
This chapter discusses the trade diaspora, an institution that was all but obligatory for regular, long-distance trade in the absence of third-party enforcement. Traders could do business in a foreign community because people from their homeland had moved there permanently and could vouch for them. If a promise to pay or deliver according to agreement was not fulfilled, foreign settlers could be held accountable for any debt of their fellow citiz…
King’s Men and the Stationary Bandit
This chapter examines mid-third-century BCE Syria-Palestine, an area ruled by the Ptolemies at the time. As in all Hellenistic states, the power structure of the Ptolemaic kingdom was strongly personalized. A small number of state actors surrounding the king were allowed access to agricultural surplus, making them influential men politically and economically. Moreover, the process by which the ruling elite negotiated power through conspicuous con…
Trade in the Ancient Mediterranean
From around 700 BCE until the first centuries CE, the Mediterranean enjoyed steady economic growth through trade, reaching a level not to be regained until the early modern era. This process of growth coincided with a process of state formation, culminating in the largest state the ancient Mediterranean would ever know, the Roman Empire. Subsequent economic decline coincided with state disintegration. How are the two processes related? This book …
Trade in the Ancient Mediterranean
From around 700 BCE until the first centuries CE, the Mediterranean enjoyed steady economic growth through trade, reaching a level not to be regained until the early modern era. This process of growth coincided with a process of state formation, culminating in the largest state the ancient Mediterranean would ever know, the Roman Empire. Subsequent economic decline coincided with state disintegration. How are the two processes related? In Trade i…
Neo-institutionalism in ancient economic history
Neo-institutionalism has had a deep impact on the economic study of antiquity, to the point where it has become the de facto scholarly default. But although it has been beneficial to analyses of discrete ancient economies it has yet to be employed to study the overall economic performance of the Greco-Roman world. The ancient Mediterranean seems to have experienced long-term trends of growth and contraction that transcended traditional chronologi…
Communication and Roman Long-Distance Trade
Chapter 3 argues that scholarship on Roman long-distance trade has been preoccupied by questions of its scale and importance for the overall economy, and that consequently the role and importance of communication for this Roman trade have remained overlooked. Terpstra therefore seeks to recover the nature of this communication—both written and oral—and of the communications network in circumstances that were incomparably harsher than today. Given…
The « Piazzale delle Corporazioni » reconsidered
This paper analyzes an Ostian monument, the so-called piazzale delle corporazioni, arguing that it is less unique than it seems now if put in architectural context. The paper includes a discussion on the building’s prior use as a theater colonnade, comparing it to the porticus Pompeiana and the crypta Balbi in Rome. It further compares it to the « gladiators’ barracks » in Pompeii, a space also used as a theater colonnade and subsequently employe…
V. Roman Traders in the Province of Asia
In Trading Communities, Taco Terpstra shows that long-distance trade in the Roman Empire was conducted through foreign trading communities living overseas, held together by ethnic and geographical identity.
Index
IV. Inter-Community Trade and the City of Rome
Preliminary Material
Conclusion
I. Intra-Community Exchange and the Use of Law in Puteoli
In Trading Communities, Taco Terpstra shows that long-distance trade in the Roman Empire was conducted through foreign trading communities living overseas, held together by ethnic and geographical identity.
III. Coalitions of Foreign Merchants and Shipowners in Ostia
II. Inter-Community Exchange and the Role of Trading Stations in Puteoli
Columbia Studies in the Classical Tradition
In Trading Communities, Taco Terpstra shows that long-distance trade in the Roman Empire was conducted through foreign trading communities living overseas, held together by ethnic and geographical identity
Trading Communities in the Roman World
Ancient Roman trade was severely hampered by slow transportation and by the absence of a state that helped traders enforce their contracts. In Trading Communities in the Roman World: A Micro-Economic and Institutional Perspective Taco Terpstra offers a new explanation of how traders in the Roman Empire overcame these difficulties. Previous theories have focused heavily on dependent labor, arguing that transactions overseas were conducted through …
Murecine Tablets
The Murecine tablets are a collection of wooden writing tablets, found in a villa just outside Pompeii in an area now called the “Agro Murecine,” hence their modern name.
Trading Communities in the Roman World
Ancient Roman trade was severely hampered by slow transportation and by the absence of a state that helped traders enforce their contracts. In Trading Communities in the Roman World: A Micro-Economic and Institutional Perspective Taco Terpstra offers a new explanation of how traders in the Roman Empire overcame these difficulties. Previous theories have focused heavily on dependent labor, arguing that transactions overseas were conducted through …
The « Piazzale delle Corporazioni » reconsidered
This paper analyzes an Ostian monument, the so-called piazzale delle corporazioni, arguing that it is less unique than it seems now if put in architectural context. The paper includes a discussion on the building’s prior use as a theater colonnade, comparing it to the porticus Pompeiana and the crypta Balbi in Rome. It further compares it to the « gladiators’ barracks » in Pompeii, a space also used as a theater colonnade and subsequently employe…
Trade in the Ancient Mediterranean
From around 700 BCE until the first centuries CE, the Mediterranean enjoyed steady economic growth through trade, reaching a level not to be regained until the early modern era. This process of growth coincided with a process of state formation, culminating in the largest state the ancient Mediterranean would ever know, the Roman Empire. Subsequent economic decline coincided with state disintegration. How are the two processes related? In Trade i…
Roman technological progress in comparative context
Trade in the Ancient Mediterranean
From around 700 BCE until the first centuries CE, the Mediterranean enjoyed steady economic growth through trade, reaching a level not to be regained until the early modern era. This process of growth coincided with a process of state formation, culminating in the largest state the ancient Mediterranean would ever know, the Roman Empire. Subsequent economic decline coincided with state disintegration. How are the two processes related? This book …
Mediterranean Silver Production and the Site of Antas, Sardinia
The article traces the development of Mediterranean silver production from the Iron Age to the time of Rome, focusing on the site of Antas, Sardinia. Antas is located in a rich metalliferous area, which served as a source of lead and silver beyond the regional level. The article takes data on the exploitation of metal resources as a gauge for Mediterranean developments, especially state formation and the rise in maritime connectivity. Sardinian B…
Communication and Roman Long-Distance Trade
Chapter 3 argues that scholarship on Roman long-distance trade has been preoccupied by questions of its scale and importance for the overall economy, and that consequently the role and importance of communication for this Roman trade have remained overlooked. Terpstra therefore seeks to recover the nature of this communication—both written and oral—and of the communications network in circumstances that were incomparably harsher than today. Given…
Murecine Tablets
The Murecine tablets are a collection of wooden writing tablets, found in a villa just outside Pompeii in an area now called the “Agro Murecine,” hence their modern name.
V. Roman Traders in the Province of Asia
In Trading Communities, Taco Terpstra shows that long-distance trade in the Roman Empire was conducted through foreign trading communities living overseas, held together by ethnic and geographical identity.
Index
IV. Inter-Community Trade and the City of Rome
Preliminary Material
Conclusion
I. Intra-Community Exchange and the Use of Law in Puteoli
In Trading Communities, Taco Terpstra shows that long-distance trade in the Roman Empire was conducted through foreign trading communities living overseas, held together by ethnic and geographical identity.
III. Coalitions of Foreign Merchants and Shipowners in Ostia
II. Inter-Community Exchange and the Role of Trading Stations in Puteoli
Columbia Studies in the Classical Tradition
In Trading Communities, Taco Terpstra shows that long-distance trade in the Roman Empire was conducted through foreign trading communities living overseas, held together by ethnic and geographical identity
Trading Communities in the Roman World
Ancient Roman trade was severely hampered by slow transportation and by the absence of a state that helped traders enforce their contracts. In Trading Communities in the Roman World: A Micro-Economic and Institutional Perspective Taco Terpstra offers a new explanation of how traders in the Roman Empire overcame these difficulties. Previous theories have focused heavily on dependent labor, arguing that transactions overseas were conducted through …
The « Piazzale delle Corporazioni » reconsidered
This paper analyzes an Ostian monument, the so-called piazzale delle corporazioni, arguing that it is less unique than it seems now if put in architectural context. The paper includes a discussion on the building’s prior use as a theater colonnade, comparing it to the porticus Pompeiana and the crypta Balbi in Rome. It further compares it to the « gladiators’ barracks » in Pompeii, a space also used as a theater colonnade and subsequently employe…
Communication and Roman Long-Distance Trade
Chapter 3 argues that scholarship on Roman long-distance trade has been preoccupied by questions of its scale and importance for the overall economy, and that consequently the role and importance of communication for this Roman trade have remained overlooked. Terpstra therefore seeks to recover the nature of this communication—both written and oral—and of the communications network in circumstances that were incomparably harsher than today. Given…
Neo-institutionalism in ancient economic history
Neo-institutionalism has had a deep impact on the economic study of antiquity, to the point where it has become the de facto scholarly default. But although it has been beneficial to analyses of discrete ancient economies it has yet to be employed to study the overall economic performance of the Greco-Roman world. The ancient Mediterranean seems to have experienced long-term trends of growth and contraction that transcended traditional chronologi…
Epilogue
This epilogue addresses the weakening of the Roman state. In the third century CE, the Roman Empire began having trouble maintaining its geographical integrity, a problem that would grow noticeably worse thereafter. The split between an eastern and western half in 395 CE was the most dramatic manifestation of that decreasing ability. After the empire split in two, especially the west in the course of the fifth century saw the abandonment of perip…
Economic Trust and Religious Violence
This chapter explores the changing world of the fourth century CE, a time of social ferment heightened by the Roman emperors' adoption of Christianity as a religion of state. Although this shift followed a turn toward forced religious centralization initiated by the emperors during the crisis of the third century, the choice for Christianity represented a momentous departure from Roman tradition. The intolerance and violence it engendered upset t…
Public Institutions and Phoenician Trade
This chapter discusses the trade diaspora, an institution that was all but obligatory for regular, long-distance trade in the absence of third-party enforcement. Traders could do business in a foreign community because people from their homeland had moved there permanently and could vouch for them. If a promise to pay or deliver according to agreement was not fulfilled, foreign settlers could be held accountable for any debt of their fellow citiz…
King’s Men and the Stationary Bandit
This chapter examines mid-third-century BCE Syria-Palestine, an area ruled by the Ptolemies at the time. As in all Hellenistic states, the power structure of the Ptolemaic kingdom was strongly personalized. A small number of state actors surrounding the king were allowed access to agricultural surplus, making them influential men politically and economically. Moreover, the process by which the ruling elite negotiated power through conspicuous con…
Trade in the Ancient Mediterranean
From around 700 BCE until the first centuries CE, the Mediterranean enjoyed steady economic growth through trade, reaching a level not to be regained until the early modern era. This process of growth coincided with a process of state formation, culminating in the largest state the ancient Mediterranean would ever know, the Roman Empire. Subsequent economic decline coincided with state disintegration. How are the two processes related? This book …
Trade in the Ancient Mediterranean
From around 700 BCE until the first centuries CE, the Mediterranean enjoyed steady economic growth through trade, reaching a level not to be regained until the early modern era. This process of growth coincided with a process of state formation, culminating in the largest state the ancient Mediterranean would ever know, the Roman Empire. Subsequent economic decline coincided with state disintegration. How are the two processes related? In Trade i…
The Imperial Cult and the Sacred Bonds of Roman Overseas Commerce
The emergence of the Imperial cult and its role in provincial diplomacy have been much studied by Roman scholarship. In general, the balance is tipped in favour of studies of public practice, although private practice has certainly also been on the scholarly agenda. However, the role of emperor worship in overseas commerce has received precious little attention. The evidence is admittedly thin (I lay no claim to being comprehensive in my treatmen…
Roman technological progress in comparative context
Mediterranean Silver Production and the Site of Antas, Sardinia
The article traces the development of Mediterranean silver production from the Iron Age to the time of Rome, focusing on the site of Antas, Sardinia. Antas is located in a rich metalliferous area, which served as a source of lead and silver beyond the regional level. The article takes data on the exploitation of metal resources as a gauge for Mediterranean developments, especially state formation and the rise in maritime connectivity. Sardinian B…
Power and Its Trappings in the Han and Roman Bureaucracies
The chapters assembled in this part turn to the key question of how the exercise of power was subject to a broad array of performative practices, in places as diverse as the administration of the state, public spectacles, agricultural production, and literature. Taco Terpstra kicks off with the performative dimension of statecraft. Due to their substantiated degree of structured hierarchies, standardized procedures, and the ability to employ offi…
Classical Antiquity Studies (17 works) · History (16 works) · Political science (16 works) · Law (15 works) · Geography (11 works) · Business (10 works) · Economics (9 works) · Ancient history (8 works) · Economy (8 works) · Empire (8 works)