Episode · Conversations with Tyler · 2026-04-15
Books mentioned on Kim Bowes on the Economic Lives of Rome's Ninety Percent
Kim Bowes is an archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania whose book, Surviving Rome: The Economic Lives of the Ninety Percent, Tyler calls perhaps his favorite economics book of 2025.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Surviving Rome
Surviving Rome: The Economic Lives of the Ninety Percent by Kim Bowes investigates the hidden economic realities and survival strategies of ordinary Roman citizens rather than the ruling elite.
Discussed“As you know, in your own book, Surviving Rome, you show the Romans had quite sophisticated and advanced economic lives. Why is it the Romans never had anything resembling economic reasoning?”
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Own book Surviving Rome
“She is an archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania, and she has a new book out called Surviving Rome: The Economic Lives of the Ninety Percent.”