ABSTRACT
The emperors‘ requirements in the efficient operation of the state in the empire were simple. So long as sufficient money came into Rome for disbursement to the army and for maintenance of an imperial lifestyle, nothing else much mattered. In practice the exaction of taxes on a regular basis was possible only if good order was preserved throughout most of the provinces, or at least those which provided surplus income. Thus areas too poor to be worth crushing were often left unconquered, while in the rich lands opposition to Roman rule and taxation was ruthlessly suppressed. Much government depended on ad hoc decisions, reflecting what was practical at the time, but stressing precedent when it was available. No-one, not even Augustus, seems ever to have produced an overall strategy for provincial administration, although he and Hadrian interfered with provincial government more than most emperors. 1
