Abstract
Cicero’s letters to his friend Atticus are an invaluable source for the
study of the financial and economic activities led by Late Republican
upper-class Romans. Beyond the information concerning the diversity,
scale and impact of such businesses, these extraordinary documents
give also enlightening testimonies to the psychological factors that
affected economic behaviour and the process of decision-making. The
case of Tullia’s shrine, a complex operation that concerned the search
and purchase of a garden-estate in one of the most exclusive areas of
the Roman suburbs, became Cicero’s most personal challenge and
obsession. An accurate study of this affair through the orator’s own voice
will allow us further to explore the concept of rationality and
psychological mechanisms that led to economic strategies and
performances. This contribution aims to show the possibilities to apply
ideas and methodologies from the transversal field of behavioural
economics into historical research and, specifically, into the context of
the first-century BC real estate market, a fluctuating business sector
highly informed by credit culture, social status, and unstable politics.
© 2019, Economic History Society. The attached document (embargoed until 15/12/2021) is an author produced version of a paper published in THE ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self- archiving policy. The final published version (version of record) is available online at the link. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it.
study of the financial and economic activities led by Late Republican
upper-class Romans. Beyond the information concerning the diversity,
scale and impact of such businesses, these extraordinary documents
give also enlightening testimonies to the psychological factors that
affected economic behaviour and the process of decision-making. The
case of Tullia’s shrine, a complex operation that concerned the search
and purchase of a garden-estate in one of the most exclusive areas of
the Roman suburbs, became Cicero’s most personal challenge and
obsession. An accurate study of this affair through the orator’s own voice
will allow us further to explore the concept of rationality and
psychological mechanisms that led to economic strategies and
performances. This contribution aims to show the possibilities to apply
ideas and methodologies from the transversal field of behavioural
economics into historical research and, specifically, into the context of
the first-century BC real estate market, a fluctuating business sector
highly informed by credit culture, social status, and unstable politics.
© 2019, Economic History Society. The attached document (embargoed until 15/12/2021) is an author produced version of a paper published in THE ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self- archiving policy. The final published version (version of record) is available online at the link. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 623-643 |
| Journal | The Economic History Review |
| Volume | 73 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 15 Dec 2019 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Jul 2020 |
Keywords
- Decision Making
- Ancient Economy
- Cicero
- Behavioural economics
- real estate market
- Economic mentality
- Motivation
- Emotions
- Economic embeddedness
- Roman Economy