The Transformation of the Roman Empire

In addition to building out a stable slave and freedman-based bureaucracy, Augustus also introduced a professional firefighting force and a professional police force. Gone now were the days where Marcus Crass could sit outside of burning home and extort the property from frantic owners in exchange for putting out the blaze.gone also were the private tax farmers out in the provinces. So Augustus hired a professional core of tax collectors to implement a tax code that reflected reasonable expectations about what the provincials should be able to provide.