The Emergence of a Provincial Market: Trade during the Early Roman Conquest of Iberia (218-100 BC)

The study of Roman economic history has rarely addressed the extraordinary growth Rome experienced in the early days of the Late Republic (Temin 2013; Kay 2014). After the Second Punic War (218-201 BC), Rome incorporated its first extra-Italian province, Spain. Immediately thereafter, trade between central Italy and the Iberian coast (mainly, eastern and southern Spain) surpassed any previous stage. Production activities both in Italy-mainly northern Campania and southern Latium-soared, with agricultural and artisanal productivity reaching levels only reminiscent of modern-age economies. The production and distribution of Italian-made goods peaked in the second century BC, and I hypothesise that the cause of this particular episode of economic growth was a direct result of the incorporation of Iberia. I theorise that the creation of "provincial markets"-the deliberate surge of demand in the territories incorporated by Rome by the forced introduction of social relations and economic infrastructures-drove to a great extent the economic development of Rome throughout its history.

In later periods of Roman history, especially the early first century AD, the production of goods appears to have diversified between provinces and Italy no longer stood as the prime producer or exporter of goods. I also argue that the creation of a provincial demand resulted in the emergence of a regional supply, which, with time, grew to be able to supply other provinces and Italy itself, which would eventually become mainly a consumer area. The overreliance on provincial markets seems to have brought the collapse of several industries when the most productive regions ceased to export their products.

The study is also deeply concerned about the role of economic coercion as a means to achieve political or military roles. In this sense, little exploration has been conducted on the mechanisms by which trade was used by Romans (both generals and traders) as the conquest progressed. However, this correlation is evident as areas which had received Italian imports before conquest proved loyal to Rome when the invasion was brought forward.

This thesis will cover all the areas of the Iberian Peninsula incorporated into the Roman Republic from the Second Punic War to c. 100 BC, emphasising the evolution of coastal enclaves. First, the study will quantify and map all Italian imports that were traded in local Iberian settlements prior to their conquest, inspired by Poux's (2004) and Loughton's (2014) groundbreaking work in Gaul. The essential key material I will use will be pottery, although I will also consider the trade and extraction of metals, coinage, and other perishable goods. Another main component will entail the re-examination of all Republican-period shipwrecks in Spain to characterise the extent of maritime trade, including volumetric analysis of non-extant goods, primarily wine. This comprehensive examination of trade networks will be followed by three specific case studies of understudied micro-regions. Each one will deal with three important aspects: the role of the administration and the old Greek colonies (NE Spain), the abusive extraction of metal (Carthago Nova and Águilas), and the coercion of Iron Age societies through imposed trade and military outposts (Balearics).