The exchange rates and prices in Italy from the mid-thirteenth to the early sixteenth century

Abstract

The combination of history and computing enables us to study old problems in new perspectives. Among other themes, we can now investigate the reappearance of the gold and its economic implications in the Middle Ages. The exchange rates of gold (more than 20,000 data collected) are used to propose an interpretation which will show the relationship between economics and history, between economic policies and historical events. In this work, thanks to the juxtaposition of classic methods in historical research with a new methodology (databases, semi logarithmic graphics, etc..) we present a first hypothesis of a general price index from 1252 to 1500.

Keywords

• Economia
• cambi
• prezzi
• moneta