The question of samples and their role in ancient economies is a vast subject, in need of more precise definitions and an appropriate framework.
The aim of these study days is therefore to highlight the complexity and subtlety of the organization of supplies, and to enable archaeologists, historians, papyrologists and jurists to engage in fruitful discussions and initiate collective reflection on the issue.
The main focus will be on samples of large-scale orders in ancient economies. The aim is to compare orders for the production of wine, oil and cereals, as well as other examples drawn from ancient material culture or known from ancient sources.
Although the organization of orders and the role of samples in the wholesale trade remain relatively unmentioned, they nevertheless constitute a key element in answering these questions, in both the Greek and Roman worlds.
