Reddit reviews Tilling the Hateful Earth: Agricultural Production and Trade in the Late Antique East (Oxford Studies in Byzantium)

A great resource for agricultural practices in Late Antiquity and early Byzantium is Michael Decker’s [Tilling the Hateful Earth: Agricultural Production and Trade in the Late Antique East] (http://www.amazon.com/Tilling-Hateful-Earth-Agricultural-Production/dp/0199565287/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417812059&sr=8-1&keywords=tilling+the+hateful+earth). The work provides a comprehensive overview of agriculture, trade, and economic production. Decker examines the types of crops grown, the layout of the countryside (which he argues was quite diverse, with small and medium farmers operating besides large estates), as well as places agricultural production within it’s broader economic context. The growing of cash crops was big business, Decker argues, it’s high profits encouraging innovation and wide-spread cultivation. I would recommend this as the starting point for further research into this topic.

Now, this book (which in the spirit of full disclosure I’ve yet to read; it’s on the reading list) is a bit academic in tone. Especially if you’re not familiar with academic texts, it’s going to be a bit dry. It’s also not cheap- $75 used on Amazon. You should be able to get it free though if you have access to a university library.