The Seleukid royal economy
Subtitle: the finances and financial administration of the Seleukid empire
By: G.G. Aperghis.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2004
Place of publication: Cambridge; New York
Language: eng; grc
Number of pages: 361
Subjects: Seleucids.; Syria -- History -- 333 B.C.-634 A.D.; Syria -- Economic conditions.
Description: "The Seleukid empire, the principal successor-state of the empire of Alexander the Great, endured for over two hundred years and stretched, at its peak, from the Mediterranean to the borders of India. This book provides a wide-ranging study of the empire's economy and the methods used by the Seleukid kings to monetise and manage it so as to extract tribute, rent and taxes as efficiently as possible. It uses a variety of Greek literary sources and inscriptions, cuneiform texts and archaeological, numismatic and comparative evidence to explore in detail the manner of exploitation of their lands and subjects by the Seleukid kings, their city-building activity, the financing of their armies and administration, the use they made of coinage and their methods of financial management. The book adopts a highly original numerical approach throughout, which leads to a quantified model of the economy of an ancient state."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Appendix 2 contains documents in Ancient Greek with English translations.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 332-349) and index.