Imagine the weekend approaching, a time when we have a few extra hours and our wallets are ready for a shopping spree. Gifts, groceries, drinks, and new clothes are all on the list. The internet has become increasingly popular for these purchases, but we still frequent our beloved brick-and-mortar stores, those familiar department stores and shopping malls. These physical spaces, with their doors, counters, merchandise, and friendly staff, are a cornerstone of our shopping experience. But have you ever wondered where this ubiquitous concept of the “shop” actually originated?
A Roman Invention?
Thankfully, scholars like classicist Miko Flohr delve into the history of such everyday occurrences. As it turns out, the concept of a “shop” is a Roman invention, just like many other aspects of our world, from military discipline to imperialism. While Rome brought us many advancements like a legal system, aqueducts, and paved roads, its bully-boy culture is also a part of its legacy.
The Taberna: A Window into Ancient Commerce
Miko Flohr, who earned his PhD in archaeology at Oxford and Leiden University, has dedicated years to exploring the earliest history of the “shop.” The oldest known shops are the Roman tabernae, a term derived from the Latin word for “tavern.” Around twenty-two centuries ago, these tabernae emerged in Pompeii and Ostia, offering a diverse range of goods and services. From vendors selling bread, fruit, and vegetables to smiths, farriers, textile merchants, and scribes, the tabernae were bustling hubs of commerce. Mirjam Groen-Vallinga’s exhaustive list of five hundred occupations in ancient Rome further highlights the diversity of these early shops.
The presence of shops in ancient cities is often taken for granted. But Flohr reminds us that the shop was a novel concept. The rise of the taberna coincided with the widespread adoption of coin-based currency in the fourth and third centuries BC. Prior to this, craftsmen typically worked from home, much like today’s freelancers. The growth of cities, however, made it increasingly difficult for customers to find the goods they needed. This led to the need for more impersonal transactions, paving the way for the emergence of shops and the use of money.
Greek Absence and Roman Expansion
Interestingly, the concept of the shop did not develop in ancient Greece, despite the Romans’ heavy borrowing from Greek culture. In Athens, fruits and vegetables were purchased in the agora, a marketplace, or from street vendors. The Romans, initially following this model, eventually opted for the more permanent structures we recognize as shops. It was only later that shops appeared in Greek cities.
The expansion of the Roman Empire in the second century BC brought with it another significant development: a dramatic increase in scale. In Pompeii, tabernae sprang up around public buildings like bathhouses. Independent rows of tabernae were built, financed by wealthy investors, large landowners, and even the government. This expansion of the shop was driven by both the desire for profit and the government’s need to provide for the city’s basic needs.
Archaeological Insights and Literary Clues
As an archaeologist, Miko Flohr examines the remnants of buildings, analyzing the materials used in their construction, to gain insights into their past. While some aspects are clear, others remain shrouded in mystery. The specific goods sold in these shops, for instance, are not always evident. In Pompeii, thanks to its preservation under volcanic ash, we can see that the textile industry was dominated by the elite, with workshops situated near their larger houses. Conversely, food vendors appear to have been predominantly poorer individuals. This suggests that even in ancient Rome, commerce created a social divide between the rich and poor.
Archaeologists and historians debate whether ancient Romans cooked at home or relied heavily on food vendors. While the lack of evidence for certain types of food preparation raises questions, it is important to remember that our focus on the “upper layers” of archaeological excavations is a relatively recent phenomenon. Previous generations of archaeologists focused primarily on the oldest layers, inadvertently discarding information that would be invaluable today.
Beyond physical remains, literary sources also shed light on the history of the shop. Around the year zero, authors like Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus mention the existence of shops in Rome as early as the sixth century BC. This claim, however, is likely inaccurate since there was no money in circulation at that time. Nonetheless, it demonstrates how prevalent the concept of the “shop” had become, even in the absence of its actual existence. The shop had become so ingrained in Roman society that its absence was considered an anomaly, much like the closure of stores during a major sporting event.
The Shop’s Limited Reach
One might assume that the “shop,” a symbol of prosperity, would have flourished throughout the Roman Empire as its wealth grew. However, this was not entirely the case. In some towns like Saepinum in the Apennines, archaeologists have uncovered rows of shops, but these were actually small houses with tiny shops attached. The large-scale Roman “shopping mall” did not expand from the imperial center (Rome, Pompeii, Ostia) to the wider world.
This observation leads Flohr to conclude that Roman imperialism primarily benefited the Roman elite. While the empire’s wealth did flow to other parts of Italy, the benefits were unevenly distributed. The “denarii” were primarily concentrated in the hands of a small aristocratic and wealthy class.
From Ancient Rome to Modern Society
The story of the Roman shop offers a compelling glimpse into the evolution of commerce. From its humble beginnings as a new form of transaction in a growing city to its role in shaping the social fabric of a vast empire, the “shop” has become a ubiquitous feature of our world. While the physical structure and its contents may have changed, the fundamental concept of the “shop” remains the same, a testament to the enduring legacy of ancient Rome.
