From the margins to the centre stage

Abstract

While ancient demography, in Bowersock’s words, may well be ‘there to stay’, persistent reluctance to engage with its methods and concepts will condemn it to a marginal existence. Current shifts into qualitative, cultural history make this the most likely outcome. But all is not lost. The study of ancient demography has come a long way since Beloch’s abortive experiment. Regardless of future progress or retrenchment, the advances of the past few decades will indeed be there to stay. (Scheidel, 2001b: 10) My book Demography and Roman Society appeared in 1992. Most of the writing of it actually took place in 1987, in my second year as a DPhil student at Oxford. The topic of my dissertation was..