Tessuti e indumenti nel contesto economico tardoantico: i prezzi

Prices, when compared to labour and food costs, are an essential element for evaluating textile items, not only from an economic, but also from a cultural, social, and ideological point of view. Diocletian’s Edictum de pretiis gives innumerable informations on the prices of textile materials and products, mainly flax made. The quantity of informations in the Edictum allows to compare the prices of the various products, between themselves and also with food and labour prices. However, in some cases at least, the relations between the figures seem to be distorted by the own interests of the state administration, and also by an insuficient attention to – or understanding of – the actual mechanics of economy. The fourth century, with its great devaluations, offers several price levels: on one hand, the Diocletianic prices stay unchanged during decades in the requisitioning of vestis militaris; on the other hand, market prices jump vertiginously. Such conditions make it very difficult to compare the prices of textile items with those of other commodities. For the period from fifth to height centuries it is possible to apply a unitarian treatment to informations gathered from various areas and periods. The evidence given by some literary texts – e.g. the story of John the Almonsgiver’s gonachion told by Leontios of Neapolis; that of Florentios’ casula told by Augustine; that of Pinianus’ garments narrated by Gerontios – can be compared with the data from other literary, juridical and papyrological texts related to subsistence prices and salaries. Beside the economic stability and homogeneity of data from various areas, we can thus ascertain on one hand the high value that is ascribed to textiles, such as to grade them, along with monetary assets, buildings and valuables, as means of accumulation of wealth; on the other hand, the gap between items of current consomption and luxury goods. Those various categories of products are addressed to completely different spheres, and they reflect the social imbalances of Late Antiquity.