Extending Cliometrics to Ancient History Using Complexity.

Cliometrics, concerned with the application of economic models to history, have left antiquity aside because of the perceived lack of data available for this period. We argue that cliometrics do not have to specifically focus on the economy and, associated with complexity sciences, can operate on pr...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Kyklos Vol. 79; no. 2; pp. 585 - 596
Autor principal: Gauthier, Laurent
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Wiley-Blackwell May2026
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:Cliometrics, concerned with the application of economic models to history, have left antiquity aside because of the perceived lack of data available for this period. We argue that cliometrics do not have to specifically focus on the economy and, associated with complexity sciences, can operate on primary historical sources. Thus, redefining cliometrics gives them access to the extensive corpora of historical material that have been digitized, in particular for ancient history, which has so far remained outside cliometrics' purview. We discuss two examples of a cliometrics and complexity approach to ancient history: inscriptions and votive acts in ancient Greece.