Daniela Cervantes

Mariona Coderch

February 16, 2018

263 BC - 146 BC

During stage two of the Roman expansion, the economy was highly developed. Now I will show
you why; The Romans had the control of the Mediterranean Sea which allowed them to trade
much more easily and flourish economically, all of the conquered lands provided agriculture
(food), slaves and taxes for the city to be richer, the victory of the Punic Wars and the defeat of
Carthage impacted the economy and gave Rome power, a lot of power. The Romans were open
to a completely new environment. The contact with other countries and cultures increased their
knowledge and understanding of the world around them and created many advances in trade.

Many of you may say that in the second stage the Punic Wars made Rome become very weak.
Actually, winning the Punic Wars was an enormous achievement. Rome gained a lot of power
and this victory made other people assume that the Roman Empire was one of the strongest
civilizations that existed during that time period. Anybody could endanger the existence of
Rome, this was the message that Rome gave after it´s victory. The Hellenistic monarchies,
German and other barbarian tribes in the north could threaten the Roman empire, but after the
Punic Wars, this enemies didn’t create any type of danger for centuries. The Romans had the
control of the non-Roman citizens, which was very favorable because they were forced to pay
taxes, which then went to the government/leader. Rome became richer and richer, every time
they conquered a new province they had more non-Roman citizens which means that they had
more taxes and more money. The land conquered could be bought to win even more money.
Other lands in the countryside gave products like pasture, vineyard, and olive orchards. These
products were later used to trade. This was the way Rome’s economy flourished after suffering
such a long and bloody war, The Punic Wars.

After beating Carthage in the Punic Wars, Rome gained the control of the Mediterranean Sea.
Having the control of the Mediterranean Sea is what brought Rome to success. Each new
conquest brought Rome into contact with a new set of neighbors. The Romans could now control
all the harbors on the coast and discovered many new cultures with new trading techniques. It
was no wonder that the Romans began to call the Mediterranean mare nostrum—”our sea.” They
had the control of all activities that occurred in the Mediterranean Sea and could trade much
quicker and effectively. The climate of the Mediterranean Sea was perfect for the crops to grow
healthy and so there was enough food to feed the entire population.

In the second stage, the lands conquered by the Romans were very beneficial and gave many
products and resources. Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Baetica, the eastern half of Tarraconensis and
the area around Carthage were the valuable provinces that Rome had conquered. Sicily was a
very rich province and was very popular, many forces were fighting to take control of it. The
economy was based on extensive dry agriculture and wheat was the major crop of Sicily. The
main agricultural products were vines, olives, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, and garden crops.
Also, Sicily was a big producer of citrus fruits. It was also a good place for fishing, especially for
tuna and sardines. Sheep and goats provide milk, which was then processed into cheese; gardens
provided fruits and vegetables; vineyards harvested grapes (then turned into wine); olive trees
were harvested to make oil, and grain grew and was then made into bread. The Romans could
enjoy and feed themselves with Corsica’s products such as; gourmet cheese, wine, citrus fruits,
grapes, olives and honey. Baetica was also an important part because the south of the Iberian
Peninsula was agriculturally rich, providing wine export, olive oil and a typical fermented fish
sauce. The eastern half of Tarraconensis was very relevant because they exported things like
cinnabar, iron, timber, gold, lead, marble, pottery wine, olive oil and produced a special type of
pottery that could only be found there. Finally, Carthage was the province more influential of all.
Carthage was the largest and richest city in the western Mediterranean. It had a direct access to
the sea and a good fertile soil.
Stage two was very beneficial for Rome in terms of economy but also in terms of geography,
military and politics. Trade and expansion are the key activities that made Rome the most
dominant empire. The control of the Mediterranean Sea gave Rome wealth and trade, the
territories conquered gave agriculture (food) slaves and taxes for the city to be richer and finally
the victory of the Punic Wars and the defeat of Carthage impacted the economy and gave Rome
power, showing the rest of the world that no other force could defeat this fascinating empire.
Stage two was the most important face of the Roman Empire because without this stage Rome
would not have progressed and would have not developed communications and alliances.

Works Cited:

● Butler,John "Chris"“The Roman conquest of the Mediterranean (264-133 BCE)”.The

Flow of History, 2007. http://www.flowofhistory.com/units/birth/4/FC29.16 February
2018.
● Ferguson, James. “Roman Power and the Mediterranean World” Journey to the West,
1997, 2007.http://www.international-relations.com/History/Roman-Power.htm. 15
February, 2018.
● Grant, Ryan“The Growth and Decline of the Roman Economy.” The Distributist Review,
27 Nov. 2015.distributistreview.com/the-growth-and-decline-of-the-roman-economy/. 12
February 2018
● Hornblower, Simon, and John Ferguson. “Ancient Rome.” Encyclopædia Britannica,
Encyclopædia Britannica,17 Oct. 2017.www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Rome/The-
middle-republic-264-133-bc.. 14 February 2018
● McCullough, Colleen.Fortune's Favourites. Sidney, Australia: William Morrow, 1993.
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