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SUMMARY:Wine Production and Exchange in Late Antique Egyptian Monasteries:
  A Micro-Economic Analysis’ - Thomas Laver (Cambridge)
DTSTART:20231113T130000Z
DTEND:20231113T140000Z
UID:TALK206680@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:113473
DESCRIPTION:This paper will examine the crucial role that wine played in t
 he economy of Late Antique Egyptian monasteries. Not only did monks consum
 e wine themselves\, but so did their servants\, with the large size of Egy
 ptian monasteries – many had over 100 monks\, and servants in addition 
 – meaning that meeting this internal demand for wine needed to be a majo
 r concern for monastic institutions’ financial strategies. This paper wi
 ll sketch out how monks met this internal need through credit\, leases\, a
 nd direct production (both through working vineland and by processing the 
 grapes into wine)\, which allowed them to acquire large volumes of wine mo
 re efficiently (at low cost\, and a guaranteed supply) than by simple purc
 hase. In fact\, it appears that monks acquired much more wine than they co
 uld consume\, and so either used it to cost-effectively meet other expendi
 tures to servants\, suppliers\, and the state\, or sold it in regional mar
 kets. \nThroughout this analysis\, it will be stressed that the methods us
 ed to acquire (and later sell) wine are a product of the small size of the
  local markets for wine\, labour\, and other goods in which rural monaster
 ies often operated\, which made direct purchase of wine a less rational or
  viable method of acquisition than alternatives. However\, these alternati
 ve methods were open only to those with more (financial or labour) capital
  than the average household\, or who had different attitudes to risk\, mak
 ing monasteries almost unique in their ability to manipulate local microec
 onomic dynamics in their favour.\nWine was therefore a key element of mona
 stic involvement in local microeconomies\, presenting an economic need tha
 t needed sating\, but also an opportunity for enrichment – an opportunit
 y that was frequently taken – which was almost uniquely available to the
 m due to their economic scale and possession of gold coin.\n
LOCATION:Room 12\, Faculty of History
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