This volume investigates the feasibility and methodology of quantifying economic performance within the Roman Empire. Editors Alan Bowman and Andrew Wilson, both established scholars in classical history and archaeology, assemble a collection of essays that evaluate how political hegemony facilitated the integration of agriculture, production, and trade. The text argues that by synthesizing documentary evidence with archaeological data, historians can construct a more rigorous, quantified account of economic growth and contraction during the empire's peak.

Experts identify this work as a foundational text for the Oxford Studies on the Roman Economy series, noting its importance in shifting the field toward quantitative analysis. Scholars frequently highlight the academic density of the prose and the rigorous methodological debates presented by the contributors.