We Shall, Therefore,
In The First Place, Give A Statement Of The Extent Of The Roman Empire When
It Had
Reached its utmost limits; secondly, an account of its roads and
communications by land; and, lastly, an abstract of the
Principal imports
into it, and the laws and finances, so far as they respect its commerce.
1. The empire, at the death of Augustus, was bounded on the west by the
Atlantic ocean, on the north by the Rhine and the Danube, on the east by
the Euphrates, and on the south by the deserts of Arabia and Africa. The
only addition which it received during the first century was the province
of Britain: with this addition it remained till the reign of Trajan. That
emperor conquered Dacea, and added it to the empire: he also achieved
several conquests in the east; but these were resigned by his successor
Adrian. At this period, therefore, the Roman empire may be considered as
having attained its utmost limits. It is impossible to ascertain the number
of people that were contained within these limits. In the time of Claudius
the Roman citizens were numbered; they amounted to 6,945,000: if to these
be added the usual proportion of women and children, the number will be
encreased to about 20,000,000. If, therefore, we calculate, as we may
fairly do, that there were twice as many provincials as there were citizens
with their wives and children, and that the slaves were at least equal in
number to the provincials, the total population of the Roman empire will
amount to 120,000,000.
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