ABSTRACT
The Augustan Age witnessed a quickening of economic life throughout the Mediterranean. The ending of civil wars, the suppression of piracy at sea and of banditry and lawlessness in Italy, and the construction of extensive roads in Italy and the provinces brought about a remarkable expansion of agriculture, industry, and commerce. At first, Italy benefitted most from the new expansion. Within Italy and, therefore, the Empire, the great Imperial metropolis drove economic and cultural developments. In 28 BC, Augustus commissioned Rome's first great building to be constructed entirely of gleaming white Lune marble, a temple to Apollo next to his house on the Palatine. Augustus attributed his victory at Actium to Apollo's favor. This temple further linked Augustus and Apollo through their roles as patrons of the arts. The huge amounts of gold and silver available to Augustus after his victory at Actium allowed him to reestablish the credibility of Roman coinage and issue an adequate supply from various mints.
