Rome's economy heavily reliant on Anatolia, finds recent study
According to a groundbreaking study by Kublay Kocak, published in the Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology, Anatolia played a crucial role in the Roman Empire's economy, acting as a core engine that integrated the region into Rome's imperial market system [1][2].
Anatolia's economic significance can be attributed to several key factors:
- Agricultural Production: The agricultural heartlands of Anatolia, particularly the Aegean valleys and central plateau, were vital for producing cereals, olives, and wine. Other regions like Cilicia cultivated flax, cotton, and citrus, while the Black Sea coast provided timber and nuts [1]. The infrastructure for irrigation and storage indicated organized, market-oriented farming.
- Trade and Transportation: Anatolia served as a land bridge connecting the Roman East, with major ports such as Ephesus, Smyrna, Miletus, Side, Sinope, and Trapezus facilitating maritime trade on busy sea lanes. Roads like the Via Sebaste linked inland agricultural basins to these coastal hubs, supporting the flow of goods [1].
- Urban Markets and Provisioning: Cities in Anatolia, including Ephesus, Perge, and Sagalassos, were characterized by food markets (macella), warehouses (horrea), and standardized shops that structured city trade and provided for urban populations and military forces [1].
- Fiscal Integration: The region was deeply integrated into Rome’s fiscal, legal, and transportation systems from the bequest of Pergamon in 133 B.C. through Late Antiquity, with taxation and mints underpinning economic activity [1]. Predictable taxation, including land, head, and customs dues, was a key factor in Anatolia's integration into Rome's fiscal system.
The study also references the work by Mitchell, S., titled "Anatolia: Land, Men, and Gods in Asia Minor" (Oxford University Press), and contrasts the "embedded economy" view with models that stress market behavior. It cites Peter Bang's "imperial market" approach, highlighting the role of private money-changers and temples in supporting exchange and credit.
Shocks in the third century A.D., fiscal and monetary reforms under Diocletian and Constantine, and the founding of Constantinople in 330 A.D., which shifted demand toward the Marmara, reinforced the region's role [1]. The study concludes that Anatolia was not a passive periphery but a resilient economic powerhouse of the Roman world.
Amphora evidence shows that goods such as olive oil, wine, textiles, ceramics, glass, marble, metals, and timber moved around the Mediterranean, with Anatolia exporting these goods and importing fine wares, papyrus, and eastern luxuries like silk and spices.
In summary, Kocak's study underscores Anatolia as a strategic economic hub whose farms, ports, infrastructure, and fiscal networks were essential for sustaining Roman cities, armies, and the broader imperial market for centuries.
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