Calendar – Joint NBB-KUL-UCL-ULB

You are kindly invited to the next Joint Firm Analysis Seminar of the NBB, KUL, UA, UCL, UGent, UHasselt, ULB, ULg and UMons

Given by Johannes Boehm (Geneva Graduate Institute)

on Trade and the End of Antiquity

joint work with Thomas Chaney

on Thursday, 6 February at 16.30 in in the Auditorium of the National Bank of Belgium (Room A), rue Montagne aux Herbes potagères 61, 1000 Brussels.

Abstract:

What caused the end of antiquity, the shift of economic activity away from the Mediterranean towards northern Europe and the Middle East? To answer this question, we assemble a database of hundreds of thousands of ancient coins from the 4th to the 10th century, estimate a dynamic model of trade and money where coins gradually diffuse along trade routes, and recover regional real consumption time series. Our estimates suggest that technical progress, increased minting, and to a lesser degree the fall in trade flows over the newly formed border between Islam and Christianity contributed to the relative growth of Muslim Spain and the Frankish lands of northern Europe and the decline of the Roman-Byzantine world. Our estimates are consistent with the increased urbanization of western and northern Europe relative to the eastern Mediterranean from the 8th to the 10th century.

Prof. Boehm will be present at the bank on 6 February and there are a limited number of slots for a meeting with him.

Please contact us at nbbfirmanalysis.seminar@nbb.be if you are interested.

Whilst we encourage your physical presence, we also offer the possibility to follow the seminar online via Teams. Please send an email to nbbfirmanalysis.seminar@nbb.be to obtain the link.

For those who attend physically, we emphasize that due to security reasons, you need to register by email to nbbfirmanalysis.seminar@nbb.be before Monday  3 February at 3:00 pm if you plan to attend the seminar. Without registration, you will not be allowed in the seminar room. You will receive a nominative badge at the entrance. We recommend that you arrive at least 10 minutes before the start of the seminar. Please include name and car plate number for access the NBB Parking Warmoesberg 41.

We already have the following speakers planned and will communicate the exact dates as soon as possible:

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Kind regards,

Gert Bijnens