Understanding the origins of business is fundamental to grasping modern life, yet most historians look no further than the nineteenth century for their narratives. While the industrial revolution profoundly shaped business practice and much of the corporate organization we recognize today, the full sweep of business history actually begins much earlier, with the initial cities of Mesopotamia. In the first book to describe and explain those origins, Roberts travels back to the society of ancient traders and consumers, recasting the rise of modern business and underscoring the parallels between early and modern business practice.

Keith Roberts is a graduate of Harvard College, Harvard Law School, and the Harvard Business School's Program in Venture Capital. He has served as president of the Preservation Group, a San Francisco-based real estate firm; Roberts Proprietaries, Inc., a manufacturing and distribution company; and other firms. He is an arbitrator for the Financial Industries Regulatory Authority and in the New York court system.
William H. McNeill is a noted world historian and professor emeritus of history at the University of Chicago. The recipient of a National Humanities Medal, he is the author of many books, including The Rise of the West: A History of the Human Community, which won a National Book Award for history.

Foreword, by William H. McNeill
Preface
List of Terms
Introduction
1 Business in the Ancient Middle East
1. The Beginning
2. Middle Eastern Empires, 1600–323 B.C.E.
2 Business in Ancient Greece
3. Markets and Greece
4. Business in Athens
5. Hellenistic History: Prologue to Revolution
6. The Hellenistic Business Environment
7. Hellenistic Business
3 Business in Ancient Rome
8. The Early Roman Republic
9. The Late Roman Republic, 201–31 B.C.E.
10. The Principate, 31 B.C.E.–192 C.E.
11. Roman Society
12. Roman Businesses
13. The Downfall of Ancient Business
Concluding Note
Notes
Bibliography
Index