The late antique economy of Jairus Banaji (à propos of exploring the economy of late antiquity)

This article seeks to contextualize the new findings and overall reading of late antique economy and monetary history by Jairus Banaji within current debates among Marxist scholars and, more broadly, by specialists, of the period. Some ideas are discussed in depth: the concept of monetary expansion brought about by the circulation of gold, tributary policies of late antique states, the role of the state in shaping that economy, and above all in promoting, through massive use of warfare and violence, depletion and waste of fixed capital.