Economy Archives

Skyrocketing prices are an age-old problem. Here’s how Roman emperors battled runaway inflation

by History Guild | Feb 4, 2026 | Political and Economic History | 0

Reading time: 5 minutes
For much of the third century, the Roman Empire faced unprecedented crises, including foreign invasions by the Persian Sasanians and conflict with various Germanic tribes, such as the Goths. There were also civil wars, plagues, disease outbreaks and food shortages. This period is now known as the Crisis of the Third Century. Political stability was a distant memory; dozens of short-reigning emperors were installed and deposed as these problems grew worse.

Medieval peasants probably enjoyed their holiday festivities more than you do!

by History Guild | Dec 25, 2025 | Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 7 minutes
When people think of the European Middle Ages, it often brings to mind grinding poverty, superstition and darkness. But the reality of the 1,000-year period from 500 to 1500 was much more complex. This is especially true when considering the peasants, who made up about 90% of the population.
For all their hard work, peasants had a fair amount of downtime. Add up Sundays and the many holidays, and about one-third of the year was free of intensive work. Celebrations were frequent and centered around religious holidays like Easter, Pentecost and saints’ days.

From micro to macro, Andrew Leigh’s accessible history covers the economic essentials

by History Guild | Jun 24, 2024 | Political and Economic History | 0

Reading time: 6 minutes
Andrew Leigh’s The Shortest History of Economics is the latest in a series of such histories, mostly focused on particular countries.
It begins with a striking mini-history of household lighting, focusing on the amount of labour required to produce the light now given off by a standard lightbulb: 58 hours for a wood fire, five hours for a candle based on animal fat, a few minutes for an early electric lightbulb, and less than one second for a modern light-emitting diode.

The Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)

by History Guild | Jun 11, 2024 | Advocacy, Political and Economic History, Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 5 minutes
The first Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea was prompted by the sinking of RMS Titanic. An attempt to establish basic rules became the most important international treaty about the safety of merchant ships and sea travel.

How the Ancient Egyptian economy laid the groundwork for building the pyramids

by History Guild | Jan 26, 2023 | Political and Economic History | 0

Reading time: 5 minutes
In the shadow of the pyramids of Giza, lie the tombs of the courtiers and officials of the kings buried in the far greater structures. These men and women were the ones responsible for building the pyramids: the architects, military men, priests, and high-ranking state administrators. The latter were the ones who ran the country and were in charge of making sure that its finances were healthy enough to construct these monumental royal tombs that would, they hoped, outlast eternity.

The Test of Time: The Oldest Companies Still in Operation and Why They Survived

by History Guild | Nov 29, 2021 | Political and Economic History | 0

Reading time: 6 minutes
Today’s biggest companies are considered young, especially when compared to some of the oldest companies in the world. While companies like Microsoft and Apple are well on their way to reaching five decades old, that doesn’t come close to the more than 200 years some others have been around for. Several companies have stood the test of time for hundreds of years, the oldest of which dates to 563 CE.