GoKawiilResearchers Build Economic Complexity Map of the Roman Empire from Latin Inscriptions
A team including Petra Heřmánková, Matteo Mazzamurro, Tom Brughmans and the author published a study in npj Complexity applying economic complexity analysis to the Roman Empire. The work draws on LIST, a large dataset of Latin inscriptions with geographic coordinates and transcribed text, using professions mentioned in funerary and honorific inscriptions as proxies for economic activity across locations.
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The approach suggests economic complexity methods, typically used for modern trade and development data, can be adapted to historical epigraphic evidence to infer regional economic diversification in antiquity. This could open new interdisciplinary avenues for applying data science techniques to archaeology and ancient history, though the authors' broader claims about what this reveals about Roman economic development would need further scrutiny.
- Study published in npj Complexity analyzes Roman economic complexity using inscription data.
- Researchers used LIST, a dataset of Latin inscriptions with location and text data.
- Professions mentioned in funerary/honorific inscriptions served as proxies for regional economic activity.
Source: michelecoscia.com, 2026-10-14
Published there as: “The Economic Complexity of the Western Roman Empire”
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