ABSTRACT
Weber’s was a mind which continued to develop throughout his intellectually productive life.1 With his background in law and economics he moved towards sociology.
From the beginning of his academic career Weber addressed himself to two broad historical questions: The origin and nature of (1) capitalism in Antiquity, the Middle Ages and in modern times, (2) political domination and social stratification in the three ages. His dissertation of 1889 dealt with legal institutions of medieval capitalism, his Habilitation of 1891 (that is, the second doctorate required for academic teaching) with the relationship between Roman politics and capitalism.2
