The expansion of states played a crucial role in the commercial growth in the ancient world. The empires provided physical infrastructures, such as roads, and institutions, such as legal order and standardized currencies, that reduced the transaction costs of economic exchanges. Expensive activities by the imperial governments, including military conquests and urban development, required efficient mechanisms for accumulating, transforming, and transferring resources, and markets often provided such mechanisms.
This article explores the relationship between empire-building and commercial change in the Qin Empire (221â207 BCE), the first of Chinaâs centralized empires. I demonstrate how the empireâs need to administer and tax its territories contributed to the growth of markets.
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The expansion of states played a crucial role in the commercial growth in the ancient world. The empires provided physical infrastructures, such as roads, and institutions, such as legal order and standardized currencies, that reduced the transaction costs of economic exchanges. Expensive activities by the imperial governments, including military conquests and urban development, required efficient mechanisms for accumulating, transforming, and transferring resources, and markets often provided such mechanisms.
This article explores the relationship between empire-building and commercial change in the Qin Empire (221â207 BCE), the first of Chinaâs centralized empires. I demonstrate how the empireâs need to administer and tax its territories contributed to the growth of markets.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 737 | 150 | 17 |
| Full Text Views | 206 | 19 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 456 | 60 | 0 |