Modelling the Supply of Wood Fuel in Ancient Rome
Abstract
Provisioning the city of Rome required complex systems of management and procurement. Despite the importance of wood for baking the grain of the annona and heating the water for baths (among other applications), there is little evidence for the human or ecological connections that supplied Rome with this crucial fuel. By examining parallel institutions, this article provides a model for explaining how the city of Rome met the energy demands of its massive population. We suggest some ways urban labour was linked to Italian forests, creating a sustainable mode of supply that lasted for centuries.
Publication Title
Environment and Society in the Long Late Antiquity
Recommended Citation
Graham, B., & Van Dam, R. (2019). Modelling the Supply of Wood Fuel in Ancient Rome. Environment and Society in the Long Late Antiquity, 330-341. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004392083_021
