Rome, in its golden era of the Emperor Augustus, had a population of 1,800,000 people, besides its numerous suburbs, and to supply the needs of this vast population required a large number of merchants and tradesmen. Besides these, extensive industries were carried on by skilled labor to supply the demands of the rich and idle class. Plutarch tells us that there were trade-guilds in wood-carving, moulding, dyeing, lace-making, cabinet-making, and among workers in bronze, stucco and gold. There were extensive establishments for the manufacture of glass and pottery, both in Rome and other Italian cities. Cloth and clothing were made by the weavers of Rome in large quantities, the wool coming principally from Spain and the cotton from Egypt. The arts of paper-making and book-binding were carried to a much higher Industries of Rome degree of perfection than ever before, and in all the great abbeys and museums there was an apartment - the Scriptorium - for the copying and making of books.

In order to facilitate their military operations, the Eomans built an extensive system of highways, the finest the world had ever seen. Beginning at the Golden Milestone, which was placed in the Forum by Augustus to mark the central point of the Roman Empire, and from which distances were calculated, these roads extended in a network in all directions over Italv, and reached as far as France, Spain and Britain in the west. In Greece, the mountains of Epirus and Macedon were pierced with a great highway, and in Asia Minor, Palestine and North Africa they built roads leading to the principal seaports. These Roman roads were built with a view to permanency, and many of them remain as important and useful highways of commerce to this day. Wonderful examples of engineering skill are frequently exhibited in their construction, being in some instances hewn out of the mountain side and in others composed of heavy stone viaducts and bridges which still remain to attest the skill of the builders. These roads were as useful to Rome as railroads are to us. They were furnished with milestones and post houses kept in perfect order. A regular system of posts was established so that the Emperor might have speedy information of events happening in the different provinces. The postmen traveled according to regular time tables, changing horses at each relay, the same as in this country before the advent of railways. Although built primarily for military purposes, so that troops could be conveyed readily to any part of the Empire, yet these roads and the post system were highly instrumental in fostering and developing commerce as well as civilization in general.

We will now take up the consideration of the Eastern provinces of Rome, and by these we mean Greece and the Greek Islands, Asia Minor, Phoenicia, Palestine, Egypt and the north Roman Roads coast of Africa. These provinces were all placed in immediate and direct communication, not only with each other, but with Rome, and the laws were so framed as to protect intercourse and commerce generally, but especially with the seat of government. Greece had become considerably reduced in population, especially in her island colonies, and agriculture declined. The result was that large areas were now given to grazing and the raising of sheep and horses. This supplied wool for cloth and horses for the Roman army and for the chariots and other vehicles. Athens supplied Rome with statuary, cloth and perfumery, Corinth with bronze, and Paros with the finest of marble. Asia Minor and ports of the Black Sea carried on an extensive trade and manufacture, supplying Rome with cloths of superior texture, carpets, works of art in marble, bronze, gold and silver. Through these cities, too, came a large portion of Roman imports from the far East- Persia, India and China - slaves, precious stones, silks and perfumes. From Syria and Phoenicia came rugs, glass, pottery, purple dyes, cedar-wood and woodenware. Egypt sent to Rome, through its commercial metropolis, Alexandria, immense quantities of wheat, barley, cloth and colored glass. It also forwarded the slaves, ivory and ostrich feathers of Africa; perfumes, incense, gold and horses from Arabia; spices, cinnamon, ginger, myrrh, precious stones, pearls and silk from India. Large quantities of grain came from the north coast of Africa, where the Carthaginians had formerly cultivated the rich soil, and wild beasts from the desert farther south supplied the Roman arena. The western provinces of Rome were also very prolific. Spain was the richest province. Her mines yielded fabulous amounts of gold and silver, as they had previously done for the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, besides large quantities of iron and copper. Spain also produced an abundance of wool of a superior quality, besides wheat, oil, fruit, honey, wine, dyes, pitch, salt and horses. From France came wine, oil, wheat, millet, honey and cattle. The rivers of France flowed chiefly in the direction which aided in transporting products to Rome, and these, supplemented by the excellent highways built by the Romans, facilitated commerce. Marseilles was then, as it is now, the principal port of shipment from southern France. The products of the British isles were conveyed to Home partly by ships which rounded Gibraltar and partly by overland routes through France. These products consisted of tin and iron, cattle, leather, pearls, oysters, slaves, jet, and far-famed hunting dogs. The mountaineers of northern Italy and the Alps sent resin, pitch, honey and wax, while Sicily on the south sent cattle, wool, honey, wine and valuable cloths, made chiefly at Malta, whose weavers were far-famed for their skill.