New Study Reveals What Caused the Rise and Collapse of Roman Anatolia

New Study Reveals What Caused the Rise and Collapse of Roman Anatolia

The Library of Celsus in Ephesus, built by the Romans between 114–117. Credit: Benh LIEU SONG / CC BY-SA 3.0 A new interdisciplinary study tracing the Roman conquest of Anatolia reveals how centuries of imperial expansion, economic integration, and environmental transformation led to a regional system that thrived—then collapsed. Researchers say the findings offer urgent lessons for understanding today’s global environmental and economic challen…

Lessons from the past: Rapid globalization in Roman Anatolia mirrors the modern Great Acceleration

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)—By poring through ancient coin records and pollen data, researchers have reconstructed how the Roman conquest of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) led to profound economic and environmental changes that mirror those seen with modern civilization. The new study sheds light on a unique period of globalization almost two millennia... Read more »