One
of the key factors in the Roman economy was the ability Rome had to assimilate
new resources and the different economies they came in contact with as they
expanded. As Rome grew it was able to move from a
subsistence/agricultural economy to one that, while still agrarian, was able to
support the production of sufficient food to allow trade and a growth in the
urban population. The region that Rome occupied, the far western end of
Europe, kept them protected from much of the instability caused by the various
migrations that plagued Asia and the East.[1]
The geography of this region, with its differing climates as well as the wealth
of human and material assets, was the cornerstone to Rome’s economy. The well
established agricultural economies, cities, trade, and communication systems
that Rome conquered were needed to support the growing urban population as
agriculture moved from many small independent farms to large estates. These
large estates and the stability that came with them were principally possible
because of Pax Romana. By not wasting resources at war Rome was able to build.
This peace was a result of the professional nature of the military, which for
the most part stayed out of the political arena of the early Empire.[2] By
the third century, when the military began to be more active in politics, the
Roman economy was well established and stable enough to handle the turmoil of
the times. This peace allowed the army to be used to strengthen
infrastructure, creating roads, aqueducts, and even new towns all to the
benefit of the Roman people and their economy.
[1] R. Bruce Hitchner, The Case for Economic Growth in the
Roman Empire, from The Ancient Economy, Evidence and Models ed by
J.G. Manning and Ian Morris, Stanford University Press, Stanford, 2005, 208.
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