Introducing students to contemporary controversies over the nature of the ancient economy, this volume brings together 12 studies in the field. In 1973, Moses Finlay unveiled a comprehensive model of the economic underpinnings of classical civilizations. Since then, scholars have turned the study of the ancient economy into "an academic battleground". In the last few years of the 20th century, a growing number of scholars have however aimed to move the debate beyond partisan controversies. This study takes account of these developments. Embracing a wide range of interdisciplinary perspectives derived from ecology, economics and cultural studies and drawing on literary, documentary and archaeological evidence, the contributions address crucial issues from agricultural production, the uses of money and the creation of markets to the scale of long-distance trade and economic growth in the Greek and Roman periods. The collection is designed to acquaint beginners as well as more advanced students with a variety of thematic and methodological approaches to the study of economic processes in the ancient world.