We study art markets in the Greco-Roman world to explore the origins of artistic innovations in classical Greece and the mass production of imitative works in the Roman Empire. Economic factors may have played a role, on one side fostering product innovations when a few rival Greek city-states competed, outbidding each other to obtain higher-quality artworks, and on the other side fostering process innovations when a large integrated market promoted art trade across the Mediterranean Sea. The evidence on art prices is consistent with this. Literary evidence on classical Greek painting from V–III centuries BC (largely from Pliny the Elder) shows that the real price of masterpieces increased up to the peak of creativity reached with Apelles. Epigraphic evidence on Roman sculpture from I–III centuries AD (largely from inscriptions at the base of statues) shows that the real price of statues was stable and largely equalized across the imperial provinces.

我们研究希腊罗马世界的艺术市场，探索古典希腊艺术创新的起源和罗马帝国模仿作品的大规模生产。经济因素可能发挥了作用，一方面，当几个竞争对手的希腊城邦相互竞争、竞价以获得更高质量的艺术品时，促进了产品创新；另一方面，当一个大型综合市场促进了艺术品贸易时，促进了流程创新。横跨地中海。艺术品价格的证据与此一致。有关公元前五至三世纪希腊古典绘画的文献证据（主要来自老普林尼）表明，杰作的实际价格在阿佩莱斯达到创造力顶峰时不断上涨。公元一至三世纪罗马雕塑的铭文证据（主要来自雕像底部的铭文）表明，雕像的实际价格是稳定的，并且在帝国各省份之间基本持平。