Ancient and Pre-modern Economies. Gdp in Roman Empire and Early Modern Europe

Estimates of per capita and aggregate GDP in the early Roman Empire are pre¬sented, discussed and tested. Then a comparison is proposed between these es-timates and GDP in late medieval and early modern European economies. The re-sult is that Roman per capita GDP two thousand years ago was the same as that of other pre-modern agrarian economies before modern growth. Pre-modern product per capita in ancient Mediterranean civilisations underwent cycles of rise and de-cline within a narrow range. A long-term progressive path from Antiquity to the eve of modernisation is not confirmed by the available evidence.