The Invisible Economy: How Ancient Societies Mastered Circularity

Key Insights

Ancient scrap traders created efficient circular systems that minimized waste
Elite reuse practices combined pragmatic resource management with symbolic messaging
Glass and textile recycling formed organized, large-scale economic networks
Reuse motivations included functional, aesthetic, and spiritual dimensions
Advanced techniques are needed to uncover these “invisible” economic practices

References

Andrade, N., & Raja, R. (eds). (2023). Exchange and Reuse in Roman Palmyra: Examining Economy and Circularity. Turnhout, Brepols.
Bavuso, I., Furlan, G., Intagliata, E.E., & Steding, J. (2023). Circular economy in Roman and early medieval Europe – methods of analysis for a future agenda. Open Archaeology 9(1), 20220301. https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2022-0301.
Boschetti, C., Gratuze, B., & Schibille, N. (2020). Commercial and social significance of glass beads in migration-period Italy: the Cemetery of Campo Marchione. Oxford Journal of Archaeology 39(3), 319–342.
Duckworth, C.N., & Wilson, A. (eds). (2020). Recycling and Reuse in the Roman Economy. Oxford University Press.
Frey, J.M. (2015a). Spolia in Fortifications and the Common Builder in Late Antiquity. Leiden, Brill.
Furlan, G. (2023). Aspects of circular economy on an urban and inter-urban scale in the Roman age: towards a more holistic model. Thiasos 12, 341–366.
Gleba, M., & Busana, M.S. (2024). Textile reuse in Roman naval contexts. In I. Bavuso, G. Furlan, E.E. Intagliata & J. Steding (eds.), Economic Circularity in the Roman and Early Medieval Worlds (pp. 85–103). Oxford, Oxbow Books.
Jones, R.G. (2024). Exploring reuse in a prestige environment: the palace city of Samarra. In I. Bavuso, G. Furlan, E.E. Intagliata & J. Steding (eds.), Economic Circularity in the Roman and Early Medieval Worlds (pp. 27–40). Oxford, Oxbow Books.
McDavid, A. (2024). Evolutionary design processes in thermal architecture of the Roman Empire. In I. Bavuso, G. Furlan, E.E. Intagliata & J. Steding (eds.), Economic Circularity in the Roman and Early Medieval Worlds (pp. 143–162). Oxford, Oxbow Books.
Steding, J. (2024). Mind the gap: researching reuse practices in Palmyra. The example of reused inscriptions. In I. Bavuso, G. Furlan, E.E. Intagliata & J. Steding (eds.), Economic Circularity in the Roman and Early Medieval Worlds (pp. 181–207). Oxford, Oxbow Books.

Close-up image showing archaeological waste materials being sorted.

The Invisible Economy - Part 1: The Ragpicker's Dream: Unearthing the Invisible Agents of the Ancient Scrap Trade

The Invisible Economy: How Ancient Societies Mastered Circularity 1 The Invisible Economy - Part 1: The Ragpicker's Dream: Unearthing the Invisible Agents of the Ancient Scrap Trade 2 The Invisible Economy - Part 2: Recycling at the Highest Levels: Elite Reuse in Imperial Roman and Abbasid Courts 3 The Invisible Economy - Part 3: The Secret Life of Shards: Tracing the Ubiquitous Circularity of Glass and Textiles 4 The Invisible Economy - Part 4: Beyond Utility: The Functional, Aesthetic, and Spiritual Dimensions of Reuse in Antiquity 5 The Invisible Economy - Part 5: Decoding the Data Gap: Unlocking Ancient Circularity through Archaeology and Archives ← Series Home The notion that modern Western societies are only now “rediscovering” circular economic practices overlooks a profound historical truth: collecting and recycling scrap has been a deeply rooted, consistent activity shaping urban and rural life across the last two millennia. 2,000 Years Of continuous circular economic practices in scrap collection and reuse ...

Overhead view of a large, reused Roman stone basin in the courtyard of an Islamic palace.

The Invisible Economy - Part 2: Recycling at the Highest Levels: Elite Reuse in Imperial Roman and Abbasid Courts

The Invisible Economy: How Ancient Societies Mastered Circularity 1 The Invisible Economy - Part 1: The Ragpicker's Dream: Unearthing the Invisible Agents of the Ancient Scrap Trade 2 The Invisible Economy - Part 2: Recycling at the Highest Levels: Elite Reuse in Imperial Roman and Abbasid Courts 3 The Invisible Economy - Part 3: The Secret Life of Shards: Tracing the Ubiquitous Circularity of Glass and Textiles 4 The Invisible Economy - Part 4: Beyond Utility: The Functional, Aesthetic, and Spiritual Dimensions of Reuse in Antiquity 5 The Invisible Economy - Part 5: Decoding the Data Gap: Unlocking Ancient Circularity through Archaeology and Archives ← Series Home Economic circularity is often simplistically understood as a pragmatic response to scarcity or decline, rooted solely in the functional pursuit of waste reduction. Yet, studies in high-status environments reveal a far richer picture, where the wealthiest and most powerful elites systematically employed reuse, relocation, and recycling, even when operating at the peak of their financial capacity,. Whether in the monumental thermal architecture of the Roman Empire or the extravagant palace city of Abbasid Samarra, circular practices were inextricably woven into the fabric of elite behavior, serving complex objectives that fused pragmatic resource management with powerful political and symbolic messaging,,. ...

Macro photograph showing glass and textile fragments mingled together, illustrating material circularity.

The Invisible Economy - Part 3: The Secret Life of Shards: Tracing the Ubiquitous Circularity of Glass and Textiles

The Invisible Economy: How Ancient Societies Mastered Circularity 1 The Invisible Economy - Part 1: The Ragpicker's Dream: Unearthing the Invisible Agents of the Ancient Scrap Trade 2 The Invisible Economy - Part 2: Recycling at the Highest Levels: Elite Reuse in Imperial Roman and Abbasid Courts 3 The Invisible Economy - Part 3: The Secret Life of Shards: Tracing the Ubiquitous Circularity of Glass and Textiles 4 The Invisible Economy - Part 4: Beyond Utility: The Functional, Aesthetic, and Spiritual Dimensions of Reuse in Antiquity 5 The Invisible Economy - Part 5: Decoding the Data Gap: Unlocking Ancient Circularity through Archaeology and Archives ← Series Home In the study of past economies, attention often drifts toward grand monuments or precious metals, yet the materials most intimately tied to daily life—glass and textiles—reveal some of the most enduring and organized circular networks. These items, originally valued for their functional or aesthetic qualities, underwent cycles of reuse and recycling driven by persistent economic demand, technical feasibility, and inherent material value,. The multi-faceted lives of glass and textiles demonstrate how widespread organized material circularity was, establishing global supply chains long before the modern concept of recycling emerged,,. ...

Image of a stylized 7th-century gold and garnet pendant, emphasizing its central crystal element.

The Invisible Economy - Part 4: Beyond Utility: The Functional, Aesthetic, and Spiritual Dimensions of Reuse in Antiquity

The Invisible Economy: How Ancient Societies Mastered Circularity 1 The Invisible Economy - Part 1: The Ragpicker's Dream: Unearthing the Invisible Agents of the Ancient Scrap Trade 2 The Invisible Economy - Part 2: Recycling at the Highest Levels: Elite Reuse in Imperial Roman and Abbasid Courts 3 The Invisible Economy - Part 3: The Secret Life of Shards: Tracing the Ubiquitous Circularity of Glass and Textiles 4 The Invisible Economy - Part 4: Beyond Utility: The Functional, Aesthetic, and Spiritual Dimensions of Reuse in Antiquity 5 The Invisible Economy - Part 5: Decoding the Data Gap: Unlocking Ancient Circularity through Archaeology and Archives ← Series Home The study of reuse in past societies requires moving beyond simple assumptions of economic necessity, particularly in contexts where ideological or cultural motivations are visibly at play. When materials are repurposed, the driving motivation—or “modality”—of that reuse defines how the object’s original history is integrated into its new life, lending clarity to practices that often appear ambiguous in the archaeological record,. By examining high-status objects and monumental architecture, it becomes clear that reuse was frequently driven by practical function, unachievable aesthetics, or deeply held spiritual beliefs. ...

Diagram showing the combination of historical archives and modern technology to fill data gaps.

The Invisible Economy - Part 5: Decoding the Data Gap: Unlocking Ancient Circularity through Archaeology and Archives

The Invisible Economy: How Ancient Societies Mastered Circularity 1 The Invisible Economy - Part 1: The Ragpicker's Dream: Unearthing the Invisible Agents of the Ancient Scrap Trade 2 The Invisible Economy - Part 2: Recycling at the Highest Levels: Elite Reuse in Imperial Roman and Abbasid Courts 3 The Invisible Economy - Part 3: The Secret Life of Shards: Tracing the Ubiquitous Circularity of Glass and Textiles 4 The Invisible Economy - Part 4: Beyond Utility: The Functional, Aesthetic, and Spiritual Dimensions of Reuse in Antiquity 5 The Invisible Economy - Part 5: Decoding the Data Gap: Unlocking Ancient Circularity through Archaeology and Archives ← Series Home An efficient circular economy often leaves little to no trace, making it “invisible in archaeological terms”,. This core challenge requires a shift from relying on mere visible evidence to proactively seeking out obscured or absent data,. To build a holistic understanding of ancient regenerative practices—including recycling, reuse, and repair—archaeologists must integrate advanced technical methods with a meticulous and skeptical approach to interpreting existing historical and archival records,. ...

Key Insights#

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Key Insights

References