ABSTRACT
In the course of this study, it has repeatedly been found that the Roman government did not allow its foreign policy imperatives to be deflected by the needs of the eastern longdistance trade. Indeed, the only policy which the government can consistently be found to have held with respect to this commerce was one of extracting as much tax money as possible from it. No act of Roman policy in the East need necessarily be assigned to the requirements of the trade, and none of the public works which were constructed for the trade can be attributed to any other policy motive than the desire to collect taxes.
