Public feasting, elite competition, and the market economy of Roman North Africa

This article explores the economy of Roman North Africa, particularly the province of Africa Proconsularis, in an attempt to illuminate how the area grew to become one of the most prosperous areas of the Roman Empire. Looking specifically at the institutional role played by competitive, ostentatious spending on public goods by elites in the region, I contend that this elite competition and the money this injected into the regional economy was a major factor in the development of market forces and monetisation throughout Roman Africa. Further, this perspective helps to explain also how the urban spaces and the agriculturally productive rural areas of Roman Africa were linked together, forming an active regional economy that operated alongside, and partly in competition with, the export-oriented economy focused on supplying the city Rome.