Census Records of the Later Roman Empire
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Level 4 by design analogy (epigraphic analysis of historical case records).
OpenAlex W2126706557 · doi:10.2307/297781
What was done
Analyzed fragmentary epigraphic census inscriptions from Western Asia Minor and Aegean islands, likely dating to the late third or early fourth century A.D. tax reforms under Diocletian and his successors, to evaluate demographic and agrarian structures.
What was found
The abstract reports no specific numbers or statistical estimates. It states that selected surviving inscriptions are of sufficient length to yield statistical data on the distribution of landed property, agricultural population density, and the proportion of slave to free labor.
Why it matters
Because statistical data for antiquity is extremely scarce, these records provide rare empirical evidence on rural labor relations and land tenure in the late Roman Empire.
Limits
The abstract reports no numerical values, sample sizes, or counts of surviving inscriptions. The texts are fragmentary, undated, and geographically restricted to Western Asia Minor and the Aegean.
Cited by
- supports Diocletian instituted a universal census of all taxable assets across the Roman Empire.