Tax, Grain, and the Economy

Abstract

Abstract The appearance of Anatolia changed fundamentally between the second century BC and the second century AD. Cities took the place of fortified refuges; settled village populations superseded transhumant groups; cereal agriculture spread to areas previously devoted to pasture and stock-raising, and thus supported a growing population. Roman rule brought a network of all-weather roads, which transformed overland communications; permanent garrisons guarded the eastern frontier, and Roman soldiers became a common sight on the roads and in the small towns. Although the small number of Roman officials and administrators made only a slight impact on the majority of the population, Roman power was acknowledged everywhere, on coins bearing the emperors’ portraits, on building inscriptions which carried their names, by imperial statues in public places, and by sanctuaries of the imperial cult which existed in every city and in important rural centres.