The Transformation of the Roman Economy

The Roman economy was based on the free and easy movement of people and goods through the political space of the empire. North African grain, wine, and olive oil supplied the needs of the city of Rome. Wheat from southern Gaul fed the armies along the Rhine and Danube Frontiers. Pottery from Italy and North Africa was the latest fashion in rural Liberia. Silks from China passed through the ports of the Greek-speaking east on ships bound for Rome, Naples, Marseille, and Seville.