A drop in the ocean - Malta's trade in olive oil during the Roman period

Abstract

For the most part, the study of trade in the Roman period focuses on the production and movement of large quantities of commodities and luxuries from one part of the Roman Empire to another. The first part of this paper will focus on the main Roman centres of production and consumption and how these shifted over time due to the evolving geo-political and economic landscapes of the time. At the centre of the movement of these goods was the sea. Ships transported thousands of amphorae filled with oil, wine and garum across the Mediterranean and beyond. Islands strategically placed at the crossroads of this exchange found themselves in an ideal position to exploit maritime trade. Through this paper I intend showing, using Malta as an example, how other less obvious currents of production and exchange existed alongside mainstream trade. By taking advantage of dispersed hinterlands Malta was, despite its small size, able to export its own olive oil – this despite its proximity to huge centres of production in North Africa.