Land Transport in Roman Egypt

Abstract

Abstract Transport has been seen as one of the greatest failures of ancient technology. Land transport especially, due to its cost, restricted growth in the Roman economy. This book challenges these views, using the evidence of papyri from Roman Egypt, and argues that land transport, even in a country so dominated by a river which provided a natural highway, was an essential part of a system of transport that allowed for vigorous trading activity, but provided the Roman state with valuable resources which, through careful management, it could use for its own transport requirements: supplying the Roman army, transporting tax profits, and transporting bulk commodities such a stone for imperial building projects. It explores the economics of animal ownership, the role of transport in the agricultural and commercial economies of Egypt, state bureaucracy and the organization of transport. It examines the complex relationship between the state and private individuals and seeks to show that transport by land formed a vital part of everyday economic activity in Egypt. It contributes to our understanding of the economy of a Roman province and argues for a positive view of the role of transport in the ancient economy.