 He initially studied in Helsinki, and then specialized in ancient history under the direction of Eduard Meyer in the University of Berlin.His studies on Rome were particularly concerned with rural life in the later period of the empire, a subject upon which he wrote widely.Gummerus' doctoral dissertation "Der römische Gutsbetrieb als wirtschaftlicher Organismus nach den Werken des Cato, Varro und Columella" (1906) examined large Roman estates using mainly literary sources.