Explaining the maritime freight charges in Diocletian’s Price Edict
Geospatial modeling enables us to relate the maritime freight charges imposed by the tetrarchic price controls of 301 CE to simulated sailing time. This exercise demonstrates that price variation is to a large extent a function of variation in sailing time and suggests that the published rates are more realistic than previously assumed.
Explaining the maritime freight charges in Diocletian’s Price Edict
Geospatial modeling enables us to relate the maritime freight charges imposed by the tetrarchic price controls of 301 CE to simulated sailing time. This exercise demonstrates that price variation is to a large extent a function of variation in sailing time and suggests that the published rates are more realistic than previously assumed.
The shape of the Roman world
‘ORBIS: The Stanford Geospatial Network Model of the Roman World’ simulates the time and price costs of travel by land, river and sea across the mature imperial transportation network, notionally approximating conditions around 200 CE. In the version used for this paper, the model links some 750 sites (mostly cities but also some landmarks such as passes and promontories) by means of c.85,000 kilometers of Roman roads selected to represent the principal arterial connections throughout the empire.
Information, Interaction and Society
The use of data to analyse broader perspectives is not a straightforward process. Unpublished excavation reports, specialist reports, archaeological databases and theses comprise the