In this monograph, Erik Timmerman employs a large number of datasets drawn from a variety of sources in order to provide an accessible regional overview of The Roman Impact on the Economy of the Lower Germanic Limes. The main questions the book tackles are the extent to which the Roman conquest and occupation of the Lower Germanic Limes region led to economic growth, and how to characterise this growth.

The opening two chapters set the scene for the monograph. First, T. presents an introduction to the wider discourse of the Roman economy and measuring growth which is followed by a succinct summary of how this book contributes to the wider debate. The second chapter provides an overview of the natural landscape and the historical geography of the region in the pre-Roman period. The third chapter, ‘The Roman Impact’, is best understood as another introductory chapter in which several aspects of the Roman institutional framework and occupation are considered (e.g. taxation, the army, urbanisation) before analysis of different sectors of the economy is tackled. In some instances, this chapter makes presumptions that have (yet) to be fully demonstrated, and it is overly concise; the discussion of monetisation, to which seven pages are devoted, only offers a generic summary, although the evidence available is hardly restrictive (unlike the two pages on taxation for which evidence is limited). Nevertheless, the overviews provided are helpful to the non-specialist to understand the core of the book, and they must be read carefully.

The next two chapters, covering a hundred pages, are devoted to agricultural production (31 pages) and non-agricultural production (63 pages). While regional differences are observed between the southern loess zone (largely a villa landscape) and the northern non-villa zone, a key take away is that Roman occupation led to an intensification of pre-existing land use (rather than a significant extensification). In the south, from the second half of the first century a.d., spelt becomes a priority (rather than barley and emmer); this serves as an important indicator of economic change since this grain is highly suitable for storage and transportation, and is easily grown in surplus quantities due to its physical properties which protected it against insects, fungi and cold environments. In terms of animal husbandry in the south, the Late Iron Age variety (cattle, sheep/goat, pig, and horse) is reduced, and cattle become the focus. This is due to the demand of the Roman army for beef, dairy (products) and leather, but also possibly for a source of traction power and manure. In the north, however, little changes by way of crop production, but animal husbandry suggests intensification and specialisation like in the south.

The non-agricultural production chapter is divided into two: extractive (wood, stone and metal) and manufacturing (ceramics, glass and metal). The chapter successfully employs a lot of data to impart an impression of raw material exploitation. Although T. usefully reminds us that non-agricultural production is reliant upon the success of agricultural production and that reciprocal relationships between the two sectors existed, allowing for large-scale specialisation, some resource exploitation for which there is evidence is excluded from the book: salt, which must have been an important resource intimately connected to food production, does not feature and would have offered insight into how different sectors interacted (agricultural and non-agricultural production, and civilian and military populations). In the case of metal extraction and metalwork, both of which are addressed, the evidence is too limited to draw many insightful conclusions.

The sixth chapter is extensive with some forty pages devoted to (long-distance) trade. While the chapter covers a lot of ground, the reader will inadvertently presume that the region is a net importer with very little to offer externally, despite T.’s compilation of evidence for traders in the region; one would presume that a trader coming in with products to sell would leave with something, and the epigraphic evidence highlights an extensive network of participants. T. recognises that this distorted image is due to the nature of the evidence, so we must accept that our understanding is restricted to that which survives. In the seventh chapter T. considers improvements in living standards as an alternative way to measure economic growth. The available evidence is difficult to parse but we can readily recognise greater access to more durable consumer products and some changes in building styles and materials.

The Roman Impact on the Economy of the Lower Germanic Limes Region is ambitious in scope and does a service by compiling scattered publications and (archaeological) datasets. It contributes to a growing interest in the ancient economy and recognises the importance of regionality and the value of specificity in detail. T. proves that there was an aggregate growth of the economy and makes a case that there was a per capita growth, although the extent of this remains difficult to determine. The reader will leave with a good understanding of the transitional period of the Lower Germanic Limes region, from the Late Iron Age to the Roman period, but must look elsewhere to learn about the possible economic transition in the later Roman period (and beyond). How all this compares to other parts of the Empire, whether the region is unique or similar to the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes and Britannia, or even Gallia Belgica, remains to be studied. T. has laid important foundations for many future inquiries.