Roman Economy

The economy under the ancient Rome strongly developed starting from the II E at the same time as the territorial expansion. This growth is due to several factors. On the one hand control of a certain number of technical and on the other hand to the spoils of war, the receipts of imposition, and the free labor which the slaves constitute. Rome controlled vast natural territory and great human resources, its economic power came mainly from the Commerce and the agriculture. The Effondrement of the financial system is one of the estimated reasons of the Déclin of the Roman Empire of Occident.

Concept of economy

The concept of economy does not recover the current direction (free trade, liberalism,…) because it does not concern decision of state, but the economic activities raise of the individual economic activities and the evergetism if one disregards currency, taxation, administration primarily made up of the armed and of the civils servant of the taxes and the provisioning of Rome. Even, so under the Empire, the emperor was the first owner agricultural and industrial, the decisions taken by the capacity had only little effect and besides did not aim to have some. Moreover, each area and even each city, according to the times profited from situations which can be extremely different. Misery could côtoyer opulence. The areas and the cities had their own system of financing.

History

Latin was at the origin of the pastors, cultivating corn in the zones drained. The richness measured at the head cattle ( pecunia ). Starting from the VIII E, the trade develops, surely under development of the trade of salt and Rome is founded. Consequently the population believes, it often develops a craft industry Etruscan origin, mixing with Latin populations , sabines, Etruscan. A gone is held there every nine days ( Nonae ), the peasants went downtown.

Continuous Rome to increase and acquire territories with the son of the wars, which as the Punic Wars will ruin the Romans. At the end of these wars, it sets up large farms which start to replace the vine and corn by the olive-tree while the small holders are ruined. The surge of slaves working amongst other things these exploitations changes the nature of the Roman economy. The servile Guerres will not modify the economic nature of the empire. The conquered provinces (especially the Egypt), to nourish Italy are put at contribution. The empire becomes tributary alimentairement. The poorest population of Rome depends, mainly, of the state to nourish itself. The conquests are the occasion for the state to acquire new grounds, new funds and a news customers.

At the 4th century, the large metropolises of the East as of Occident find their dynamism lost during the crisis of 3rd century. The big business of the luxury items is always very prosperous. The continental traffic seems him to be itself somewhat étiolé. Trier on the files , become imperial residence knows a prosperity without precedent. However one can note that it is especially the monetary policy of Constantin which digs the inequalities between the rich person and the poor. It maintains the course of the gold coins, the solidus , that only easiest can thésauriser but lets devaluate the copper currencies necessary to the daily exchanges what reduces the purchasing power of the popular masses. The creation or of a third of solidus does not make it possible to fill the variations.

In 395, whereas the final division between the East and the Occident starts, the economy of the Occident remains fragile. Only some imperial workshops and some ceramics production centres still preserve a real dynamism. The trade is held by colonies of Jewish and Syrian merchants. The campaigns depend for their survival on the establishment on the Germanic populations, this particularly in North of Gaulle and in Illyricum . The economy of the East, on the other hand, is flourishing. It is the economic and commercial center Roman world. Agriculture is prosperous there.

Several theories are then advanced to explain the fall of the empire, for example:

the economy of the empire becomes increasingly fragile, Rome taking the practice to buy peace, whereas before it received tribe.

The public finances

The Roman Currency

The beginnings of Rome saw the exchanges on the basis of Troc, and the circulation of Greek monetary species. Before the III E, in the center of Italy, one used parts without effigy, with the weight. The first Roman currency, the ace had in theory a value of a delivers Roman Cuivre, some times less. The Roman coins were thus worth more than their metal value. Rome developed a monetary Système stable starting from the Second Punic War in order to easily be able to finance the military expenditure. The noble metal surge after the Roman victories perennialized this monetary system, based on the money and bronze (sum of money and Sesterce). The gold currencies (Aureus) appear under Jules César.

After Néron, the legal value of the Denier of money had three times its value out of metal.

The crisis of IIIe century was accompanied by a monetary collapse, followed under Dioclétien and Constantin I {{er}} of a stabilization on the gold currencies ( solidus ), the bronze and silver moneys not being more constant.

The Roman money circulation extended beyond the borders from the Empire, one found until in India parts of Laiton, Bronze, copper or Noble metal.

Incomes

The Monarchy

Under the monarchy, the state perceived royalties income by the state on the ager publicus . The customs duties the pasturages ( scripturae ), the rights of tolls or octroit ( portorium or quadragesima ) are taken. Corvée S are probably required. Exceptional incomes such as the confiscation of good ( bona damnatorum ) and especially the spoils of war in kind ( pradea ) or currency ( manubiae ).

The Republic

It is known that the Roman citizens paid a tax on the grounds and the goods ( Tributum ex census ) proportionally with their fortune to only cover the expenditure of war. After -167, the Italian grounds were exempted harvests of these funds, paid by the provinces. The payments in kind, the Dîme ( decuma ) are little by little to replace by the versed stipendium or tributum ex census silver following the needs for the moment. Moreover the Capitation, an unpopular tax is added on the people who will become a Tax on land under Dioclétien, a tax on the columns ( columnarium ). Exceptional taxes can also be claimed like the aurum coronarium poured by the cities or the versed aurum tironicum for the recruitment of troop, the Indiction, the military Annone. But also the production of the mines which will become state monopoly, the recovery of the goods fallen in disuse or the fines.

Under the Roman Republic, two critics organize great monetary flows of the state. All the receipts feed the Treasury ( aerarium Saturni ). Every five years the Censeur S supervise sunken of the taxes by conceding perceptions of taxes at the companies of Publicain S, and by engaging the capital expenditures for great work. The ordinary expenditure of the Republic is managed by Questeur S, under the control of the Roman Sénat, rather formal. The money supply ( Ærarium ) is preserved in the Temple of Saturn.

The Principat

With the advent of the Roman Empire, a major change is set up because the emperor assumes the control of finances. Auguste sets up a system, which leaves with the senate control, but only seemingly. Auguste creates new taxation ( vectigalia ) for example the 1% of the sales and the changes, the vicesima libertatis and hereditarium , the tax of 5% on the Affranchi ssements and the successions which will pass to 10% pennies Sévère, a tax on the single people ( aes uxorium ). Other taking away continuing to exist. The private individuals like provinces (But coronary), at the time of the events, make direct gifts with the emperor.

The treasure, like the empire, is then cut out in province. The local Treasuries, always called Ærarium, are under the dependence of the Fiscus, treasure central, with the hands of the emperor. He has confusion between the goods of the emperor and goods of the state. The fiscus, initially starts like a private bottom and is managed by the Rationalis . The delivery system then seems to function although the central capacity often makes carried out basic transfers. Little by little, the fiscus includes all the public funds of the central capacity.

Caligula creates a tax on the lawsuits which will disappear with him, Vespasien created a tax on the latrines. Under Hadrian, the fiscus is put under the responsibility of a Roman Chevalier. From Dioclétien, all the empire is subjected to the tax on land ( capitatio terrena ). The system of tenant farming disappears little by little.

Dominat

With, more certainly under Severe Septime, the imperial treasure was divided into patrimonium , private goods of the royal house and the fiscus . After the Crisis of IIIe century, Dioclétien carries out a deep reform, the treasure depends again directly on the emperor. Under Constantin I {{er}} emerges an embryo of ministry for finances, the comes sacrarum largitionum and is the reunification of the fiscus and Ærarium.

The Comes sacrarum largitionum was responsible for the harvest of the taxes, taxes and tributes, of the mines, the budgets of the administrations. Under the comes sacrarum , in each diocese was the comes largitionum directed by the rationales summarum . These agents, the Décurion S, members of the territorial administrations called Curie S , were the civils servant most visible with S.

Only the Magister officiorum and the comes rerum privatarum could counter the political power or financial comes sacrarum largitionum . The magister officiorum made the military decisions and of information most important, managed the budget for the monuments, etc the comes sacrarum largitionum was to have a partial authority on these decisions.

New direct taxes in species appear, like the collatio glebalis for the senatorial grounds and the Chrysargyre for the merchants.

The expenditure

Under the Republic, the Magistrat S were not paid, the colonies and the Municipes were autonomous. On the other hand the governors of the provinces receive the public allowances and slaves small wages. Under the empire the loads increase abruptly following the formation of the body of the imperial civils servant and constant growth. According to Vespasien, the budget for the civils servant was of 40 million Sesterce S.

The public services

The funds were used for the political officials, by the principle of the Clientélisme, to be maintained with the capacity. These funds are used for operation of the state itself but also to build public edifices (see Publicain S), and to maintain constructions existing (bridge, road, aqueduct…). From the empire only constructions of Rome are maintained. The state expenditure to maintain the armed professional after the marianic Reform, or to offer services, which could be connected with our public services, for example some thermal baths, the water provision, the religious worships public, the medicine, the subsidized spectacles (theater, Cirque, Jeux, religious festivals) and especially of the distributions of free food in Rome, to see money Annone.

Role economic of the soldiers and civils servant

Many cities draw their origin, to see their name, of these Roman camps, mainly in the old provinces borders of the Empire, where were established the most important forts. Indeed the camps provided work to many the romanoi which followed the legions.

The military budget passes from 65 million sums of money under Auguste-Domitien to 195 million under Caracalla-Dioclétien. The balances represent under the Empire approximately 40% to 70% of the budget of the state.

An economy based on slavery

The slavery becomes the engine of the Roman company after the Second Punic War, when the Romains rich person start to create great properties ( Latifundium ) in the conquered provinces. The made evaluations leave think that the slaves represented half, even the double, of the citizens. This proportion was even more important in the campaigns. They occupied all the types of functions, the most specialized, like the Greek teachers, with most repetitive and scorned like the brick manufacturers. Their living conditions and the very hard treatments to which they were subjected are slightly improved after the servile Guerres. This type of economy marked its limits as of and stampings were then important.

Primary sector

Agriculture

The mines and the saltworks

The most important activity after agriculture was the mining extraction and the extraction of stone to build the monuments. Initially deprived, the mines ( metallae ) become under the empire the state-owned property. The hirer out ( conductor ) receives the mine in tenant farming and works the mine in the name of the state. At the time of the gloss the Censeur S proceed to the adjudications. Under the empire, the exploitation of the mines becomes state monopoly or of the emperor. They are managed by a Procurateur.

Work being particularly painful there, it is carried out by slaves or condemned. They are then supervised by procurateurs. The principal processing sites are Balkans, Asia Mineure, Gaulle and Spain. The ore is not treated on the spot, but in certain specialized areas.

The salt, very important for the conservation of food and since prehistory the men, in the area of Ostie extracted some. Salt was also very important for the animals pastors and one of the first goods was exchanged in volume at the period of the Fondation of Rome. The trade was done by boats. A Roman way bears the name of Via Salaria , way of first importance because it also allowed the trade with the country of the Sabins. This trade, by using Rome as market, to 30 km of the saltworks, is surely at the origin of the development of Rome.

Industry

Exports of the goods

The most transported goods were food like cereals, oil, the wine, the meat or the Garum for the provisioning of the big cities. After an examination of the amphoras arrived to Augst under the Empire, 52% of the amphoras arrived of the Hispanie (Oil, wine, garum), 38% came from Gaulle (Wine, garum and olives), 3% of Italy (Oil, wine, garum) and 6% of Eastern Mediterranean space (wines of the Aegean Islands, dates and figs). The Gallic ones imported during the Empire 120.000 Italian wine hl. The trade of textile was also done on large scales. An inscription of a negotiator artis vestiariae and lintiariae (commercial of clothing) was found in Augsburg. The crimson also came from minor Asia.

Few things are known on these imports, one knows them only for some specific examples. Annually one imported in Rome for example 150.000 tons of cereal only of Africa, by boat. The cereals were stored then in enormous deposits ( horrea ).

Rome imported everywhere good number of alive wild animals for these plays.

Infrastructures

All the cities comprised a forum; they were connected between them by Roman ways, inland waterways and the sea routes after the victory over Carthage. Of many cities were created around the legions. After the 1st century, the volume of the manufactured goods tends to increase and the goods to be specialized like the grain coming from Egypt and of the north of Africa, the wine and olives of Italy… Rome also traded with the China by the Silk route and in 166, a Roman embassy arrived at Luoyang capital of the Chinese emperor Huandi.

The Archéologie marinades and the ancient manuscripts show the importance of the Roman Mercantile marine. The most important traces are the vast commercial ports, the warehouses and the headlights of the ports like Ostie, Leptis Magna and Caesarea Palaestina. Monte Testaccio is a trace of this trade. The ships of Rome did not have technological in advance compared to those of the maritime powers having controlled the seas head them. The ship of the Roman transport most widespread was called the Oneraria, which measured from 20 to 30 meters length and 8 to 10 meters broad on average.

The marine soldier Roman on the other hand knew to make hunting for the pirates and to allow, by ensuring the safety, the lucrative trade between distant regions.

Certain goods, like the grains and construction materials, travelled only by sea. The maritime voyage was estimated to the II E to return sixty times less expensive than the land carriage, not very practical for transport in large quantity. Transport between ptolémaïque Egypt and Rome was daily, in particular because of the importance of the trade of the Blé to make bread. It took one month to go from Gadès to Alexandria while passing by Ostie.

The animals used for transport were the asses and mules, the oxen and, in the Eastern areas of the empire, the camel. Transport by horses prohibitory and was reserved for the transport of the people.

Navigation

Commercial navigation will increase throughout the history of ancient Rome. The major part of the goods are transported by the commercial fleet ( naves onerariae ). Average tonnage is around 200 barrels, but can reach with certain ship more than 3.000

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