-
Early Roman Banking
Early Romans, as with most early peoples, didn’t really utilize currency for trade. Commerce centered around bartering, which consisted of just trading desired items, rather than bothering with an intermediary of cash. However, as the Roman Empire and economy expanded, so did the need for a consistent medium for exchange. Thus, Roman currency was born. …
-
Trajan’s market: World’s first shopping mall
Trajan’s Market is one of Rome’s most impressive ancient sites. Built during the reign of Emperor Trajan in the early 100s AD, it’s often called the world’s oldest shopping mall. The complex stood along the edge of Trajan’s Forum and may have even been used to relocate shops displaced by the forum’s construction. The market…
-
Mixed Constitutions
Government building is a careful craft. If the state shifts too far toward benefitting one group or another and disadvantaging the remainder of the populace, unrest and revolution begin to brew. But where is the middle point? How does one balance the interests of the oligarchs and the democrats, which are so incompatible? To tackle…