The dichotomous topics, 'poverty and prosperity', 'rich and poor', continue to interest scholars, politicians, and philosophers while also appealing to a wide general audience, and are particularly of interest today. In this volume, the authors raise and try to answer questions about the ways in which individuals, families, ethnic and religious groups and nations 500, 1000, or even 1500, years ago approached the idea of economic status and personal worth. The interdisciplinary nature of this volume provides an analysis of poverty and prosperity from a multitude of perspectives and within a host of secular and religious literature: historical treatises, scholastic works, art, travellers' and political accounts. Through its breadth, depth, and interdisciplinary focus, the present volume makes a full contribution to the topic for anyone interested in how people in the past have experienced these states.

Based on archaeological survey material as well as textual evidence, Cynthia Kosso studies the effects of Late Roman imperialism and colonialism in Achaia, Greece. She argues that socio-economic measures imposed on Achaia in Late Antiquity by the government at Constantinople were designed to encourage and protect' the small landholder and ensure a stable and dependable revenue. From studying evidence relating to the application of these policies, such as an increase in the number of rural settlements, greater investment in agriculture and an increase in legislation relating to land and taxes, Kosso shows how imperial policies were geared towards manking more efficient use of the land in the long term.