Roman Economy Essay
Discuss how the provinces affected the general Roman economy.
The Roman economic benefit was felt and grew as the result of influx of provincial wealth.
Before I go any further, it is also important to indicate that the reign of August (his reforms) represented the most pivotal period of all Roman history. As such, it was a unique period of peace and sustainable economic growth throughout the Roman Empire and in particular the Roman provinces. Augustus had begun his reign by conquering more territories than any one before him or after him. His reforms that were instituted over new provinces were therefore implemented in order to consolidate these new territories into the Roman Empire. In addition to that, he simplified the administration of his empire by standardizing …show more content…
It was also noted that most provinces were meant to be both self-supporting and to provide the fiscal treasury with taxes, as well as to supply Rome with staple goods, including pottery from Gaul and Germany (Kamm, A., n.d.)
The relevance of the taxation system here is that each Roman province was to pay tax. Two primary tax systems commonly was the Tithe (stipendium) and pasture dues, that were collected in more unstable and tribal areas such as Gaul and Spain. The stipendium was a fixed sum levied directly by the praetor or quaestor in the provinces that might have been dangerous for the publican to work in. Secondly, pactio were another tax collected by the publican.
In terms of the socio-economic impact, the new taxation system had a profound effect such that Peasant farmers were no longer at the mercy of the publicani. The result of this was that the provincial farmers were able to weather droughts and crop failures without losing their farms or becoming bankrupt through exorbitant credit lending rates (Coombes, M.J.,
The Roman economic benefit was felt and grew as the result of influx of provincial wealth.
Before I go any further, it is also important to indicate that the reign of August (his reforms) represented the most pivotal period of all Roman history. As such, it was a unique period of peace and sustainable economic growth throughout the Roman Empire and in particular the Roman provinces. Augustus had begun his reign by conquering more territories than any one before him or after him. His reforms that were instituted over new provinces were therefore implemented in order to consolidate these new territories into the Roman Empire. In addition to that, he simplified the administration of his empire by standardizing …show more content…
It was also noted that most provinces were meant to be both self-supporting and to provide the fiscal treasury with taxes, as well as to supply Rome with staple goods, including pottery from Gaul and Germany (Kamm, A., n.d.)
The relevance of the taxation system here is that each Roman province was to pay tax. Two primary tax systems commonly was the Tithe (stipendium) and pasture dues, that were collected in more unstable and tribal areas such as Gaul and Spain. The stipendium was a fixed sum levied directly by the praetor or quaestor in the provinces that might have been dangerous for the publican to work in. Secondly, pactio were another tax collected by the publican.
In terms of the socio-economic impact, the new taxation system had a profound effect such that Peasant farmers were no longer at the mercy of the publicani. The result of this was that the provincial farmers were able to weather droughts and crop failures without losing their farms or becoming bankrupt through exorbitant credit lending rates (Coombes, M.J.,