Jean Andreau’s book shows how banking became a case involving individual bankers, who were providing loans and receiving deposits in the Roman World

Kalima, the translation initiative of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, published the Arabic translation of Jean Andreau’s book entitled “Banking and Business in the Roman World”.

The author gives a balanced and elaborate view of the ancient banking.  He frankly explains the extent of its development and impact on the limits of banking institutions to encourage the flow of capital in the ancient economy in several specific manifestations.

The book shows how banking became a case involving individual bankers, who were providing loans and receiving deposits. This led to limiting the amount of money deposited in a bank, which hampered the continuity of any particular financial activity that was not legally possible to continue beyond the life of individuals. Moreover, most of the loans reported in Latin literature were for consumption and most of the banking documented in the sources consisted of short to medium term transactions, such as buying goods at auctions.

The author finds only few facts about the stories of productive loans. Andreau clearly declares that "the known examples of medium-or long-term productive loans are very scarce."

The Roman Empire formed a political and economic framework (long periods of peace, easy taxes and a complex legal system which protects property rights) which developed the economic activities. Sources of banking and financial activities vary. There is literature that reflects the attitude of the elite in financial transactions and legal texts that are subjected to the way of legislators’ thinking in legal financial matters such as deposits and loans, in addition to relying on loan documents which have emerged recently. These documents are related to the Murecine wooden tablets from southern Italy. The author also relied on a list of sources and almost 1997 references.