The Economic Complexity of the Western Roman Empire

Researchers analyzed Latin inscriptions from across the Roman Empire to measure its economic complexity, using professions mentioned in funerary and honorific inscriptions as indicators of economic activity across different regions. The study, published in npj Complexity, reveals the geographic distribution of occupations throughout the empire while accounting for significant biases in the data, such as underrepresentation of women, farmers, and lower-status workers. This novel approach combines historical data with economic complexity metrics to better understand the development trajectories of the Roman economy.