The Role of Trade in the Roman Economy - Essay Example

Ancient Rome was one of the greatest civilizations that dominated the globe from 753 BC to AD 476. Rome’s population was over million, which enabled the economy to reach new heights. For several centuries, the Romans controlled the whole of Western Europe. The Romans were without a doubt brainstormed new ideas and concepts that literally revolutionized their economy. Throughout the history of mankind, Rome has been the prototype for all civilizations because the Romans excelled in agriculture and trade, and enabled the Roman Empire to capture glory and fame. Roman trade is very important because it enabled the Roman Empire to reach new heights. In addition, it left an unending legacy that influenced the future nations to implement the same concepts as the Romans had. Rome became the prototype for other nations, and conducting trade with Rome because a necessity for many nations. Without a doubt, trade was vital to Ancient Rome. The Roman Empire relied heavily on commerce and trade in order to sustain its population of 1 million people. In order to conduct trade, the Roman Empires established both land and sea routes. The sea routes that were established by the Romans extended beyond the Mediterranean and Black Seas. In addition, the Romans emphasized on securing these trade routes from any attacks that would be detrimental to their economy. Lighthouses were built for security purposes, and the Roman Navy asserted its dominance to eliminate any threats from pirate ships. Ostia, was one of major ports that became the focal point of trade for Romans. The port of Ostia was important because of its location for Rome and other nations. Hence, the port of Ostia became a mutual place for Rome to exchange goods with Spain and France. Bulky commodities, such as grain and construction materials were traded only by sea routes, since the cost of sea transportation was low. Ostia was no doubt important but the Romans also established two most striking riytes which covered the Indian Ocean and the Alexandria for grain supply. The Roams Although sea commerce was essential, the Romans also build infrastructures in land such as roads and bridges. These infrastructures were multi-purpose because it enabled the Romans to move the army along with conducting trade with other nations. Trading over land meant the utilization of using river craft and pack animals. As mentioned above, the Romans really facilitated the process of trade by establishing both sea and land routes. It was evident that trade was encouraged both at times of war and peace. Trade and commerce specially flourished between the Roman Empire and its northern and eastern neighbors. Roman trade was executed with counting boards and using the abacus, an ancient device that is extinct now. The abacus along with Roman numerals was the ideal method of counting currency and quantifying payments. However the question remains, what was acquired from commerce? The Romans imported and acquired many goods from other nations such as: beef, corn, glassware, iron, leather, olive oil, silver, spices, tin and wine. Britain, Spain and France became the main trading partners for the Roman Empire. The major imports were always silks and spices. As a matter of fact, many nations depended on the Roman Empire to provide security. The Roman trading was so powerful that when the Roman Empire collapsed, Europe was in chaos because of the change of power acquired by the Barbarians. The end of the first century B.C showed a dramatic expansion of international trade involving the Roman Empire along with the Parthian, the Kushan, the nomadic confederation, and the Han Empire. Although traveling for trade was a huge adversity, it was essential because it enables Empires to exchanged ideas, beliefs and customs amongst each other. Trade was carried on from early in Rome’s history, with entrepreneurs buying goods in one location and selling another. Individuals known as negotiators, financial bankers, also played a vital role because they handled the transport of business and middlemen. Since most cities of the Mediterranean world were near a cost, it was easy to transport large quantities of materials between nations. Most historians unanimously agree that trade was vital for Rome. For example, Robert Payne, author of the book, The Horizon book of ancient Rome, argues that without the utilization of trade, Rome would have never experienced the success of its Empire. In addition, he argues that the exchange of good between neighboring provinces was the main reason for the development of the Roman highway system (Payne 264). Furthermore, he argues that the strong army and navy Roman army’s success could be attributed to trade. Since trade was such a huge aspect of the roman economy, Roman navies made sure that the sea lanes were free from pirates. Moreover, he argues that Rome was prosperous because it attracted market trade from China and India. Richard Talbert, author of the book “The Romans” also argues that trade was vital to roman economy. The exchange of goods and services enables the Roman Empire to generate funds in such a manner, that taxation was not problematic. The actions of the Roman Empire to pursue trade boosted Roman commerce and economy along with accumulating wealth. Another historian known as Naphatali Lewis in his book known as the Roman civilization: The Republic and the Augustana age argues that trade in food and drink, seemed to be crucial during the expansion of the empire because it insured against starvation. Grain was carried by ship in bulk or in sacks, and was provided food for around 20 million people. These voyages took around a month, and the grain was unloaded to the warehouses. Wine was another commodity that began in 6th century was essential because of its huge demand. Wine trading became a common theme for Romans, who would export wine to France on regular basis. Wild grapevines have been grown on Italy for centuries, which gave Romans a prime opportunity to enter the winemaking market. The Romans were able to produce high-quality wine, and sell it for a low price. The Ancient Romans viewed wine as a staple of domestic life and a valuable economic trade commodity, which proved to be huge success. I wholeheartedly agree with the historians’ viewpoints. Clearly, the Roman economy relied so heavily on trade and commerce to expand and fund its conquests. All aspects of the Roman life greatly benefited from Roman trade, from intellectual life to creating a successful army. In essence, the Romans were great diplomatics because they were able to import important valuable metals such as tin, gold and lead from Europe. As a result of trading olive oil and win, the agriculture business boomed in ancient Rome. It also enabled Romans to control most part of the Europe since so many countries relied on Roman Empire for securing trade routes. In addition, trading gave rise to strong financial institutions such as banks, which in turn yielded huge business profits along with issuance of the coinage system. Without a doubt, I learned that the impact of the Roman trade and economy influenced many nations in the current era we live in. Undoubtedly, the Roman economy was prosperous due to its strong trade ties. It became the prototype for other civilizations, who wanted to taste the same sweetness of economic stability that the Romans tasted. The Roman economy influenced other civilizations to adapt new concepts via trade. Without a doubt, the Romans have left their legacy, which can be shown even in the 21st century. Works Cited AboutRoma.com “Modern Rome.” January 21, 2003. Web. May 21, 2010. < http://www.aboutroma.com/history-of-rome/modern-rome.html#> "coin." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010. Web.21 May 2010  . Historyforkids.com “Ancient Rome.”2000. Web. May 21, 2010. < http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/romans/> Greene, Kevin. “The Archaeology of Roman Economy.” 3rd Edition. California, Los Angeles. 1986. Library Congress Catalog-in-Publishing. Print. May 21, 2010. Talbert, Mary T. “The Romans.”2004. New York, New York. Oxford University Press. Print. May 21, 2010. UNRV History. “Anicent Roman Economy.”April 21, 2003. Web. May 21, 2010. < http://www.unrv.com/economy.php> Read More