Which Province Was Most Valuable To Rome

[Ursus]

er... i dont wanna be a party pooper but hasnt there been a thread about this before?

 

I do believe so. I remember replying in that thread it was hard for me to pick one province, but I could say without reservation there was an imperial core of lands immediately bordering the Mediterranean, while those beyond the Mediterranean were peripheral at best. Italy, Africa, Spain and southern Gaul was the Empire in a real sense of the word, contributing not only grain and taxes but imperial functionaries and soldiers. The Hellenistic East was richer on the whole, but culturally distinct and slow to send its people to the Senate - especially Egypt. Britannia and northern Gaul were never fully Romanized and probably cost more to keep than they ever contributed.

[M. Porcius Cato]

During the republic at least, I'd say Sicilia was the most important province. The taxes from Sicilia were paid in grain, which formed the basis of the original (Gracchan) grain dole as well as providing important supplies for the army. Additionally, control of Sicily opened Rome up to the east. When Sextus Pompey controlled it, he was able to prevent shipments from Egypt from reaching Rome. Its strategic importance is further underscored by the intense interest that the Greeks, Carthaginians, and Romans had in the province.

[sullafelix]

I'm with Cato on this one. There was no one province that remained the most important throughout the span of the Republic and into the Imperial age. However, the most important thing for Rome was to be able to feed her proletariat. This became increasingly difficult, for a number of reasons, for Italian farming to achieve. Before Aegytpus the province of Sicilia was important for grain and afterwards Aegyptus became increasingly crucial. Before either of these the most important piece of land to the Romans was Campania the bread basket of Italy.

 

Sulla Felix