Sources on commodity production in the Republic and Empire
In my view the best Marxist overview of the ancient economy
has to be Ste.Croix, The Class Struggle in the Ancient Greek World.
Hindess and Hirst are also good in Pre-Capitalist Modes of Production,
Perry Andersons Passages from Antiquity to Feudalism is quite good
but less scholarly than Ste.Croix. Kautsky has excellent sections
on the Roman economy in Foundations of Christianity.
For non Marxian sources A. M. Finleys Ancient Economy is a
good short summary. Weber's Agrarian Sociology of Ancient
Civilisations is very good. The most comprehensive non
Marxian works are probably Rostovtzeffs Social and Economic
History of the Roman Empire, and E. M. Jones, History of the
Later Roman Empire. On the production of commodities in
agriculture have a look at Fussell, The Classical Tradition
in West European Farming.