Like coinage, bullion, financial instruments and a variety of commodities played an important role in Rome's monetary system. This book examines how the availability of such assets affected the demand for coinage and the development of the late Republican economy.

"With the spread of interest-based transactions, major problems such as inequality, poverty and debt-based slavery have emerged. Those who practiced professions such as usury have, despite the negative connotations attributed to them, contributed extensively to the construction of the...