(Public domain, Wikipedia)
Size always matters, and the Romans knew it. A quick look at land, coins and a load of old rubbish…
The Roman Empire once included all, or part of, nearly 50 countries
At the empire’s greatest extent in AD 117 under Trajan, Roman territory stretched from northern Britain to southern Egypt near the Sudanese border, from the Atlantic coast of Portugal to the Persian Gulf and from Casablanca in northern Africa almost to the Caspian Sea. If you include the territorial waters controlled (most of the time) by Rome such as the Mediterranean, which they called Mare Nostrum (‘our sea’), the empire would rank as the fifth-largest country on Earth if it still existed in that form today.
Due to the Empire’s extent and endurance, its institutions and culture had a lasting influence on the development of language, religion, art, architecture, literature, philosophy, law and forms of government across its territories. And who today still doesn’t think, even occasionally, about the Roman Empire?
The Romans produced more than 25 million coins each year
When we see a news headline about a new discovery of a hoard of Romans coins found in Turkey, Yorkshire, southern France, Egypt or Sicily, some of us yawn – “not another one!” – although some of us become very excited. Every museum in Europe seems to have at least a small display and some have truly spectacular collections.
Corbridge Hoard AD160, British Museum (Author photo)
But these represent a small percentage of reality.
Following a reform instituted by joint emperors Diocletian and Maximian in AD 294, the Romans established a network of 15 mints across the empire – all the way from Londinium (London) to the Egyptian city of Alexandria. (See some interesting calculations in the Forum Ancient Coins) Although production slowed down around 100 years later, no state in the world would again match Rome’s numismatic productivity until the 19th century.
Rome’s ‘eighth hill’ is a load of old rubbish… literally
Monte Testaccio is a huge artificial hill south of the Aventine and stands currently at 35 metres tall – an odd site in the middle of contemporary Rome. It arose (literally!) from the shards of ceramic shipping containers offloaded from barges along the Tiber. It’s reckoned to contain the remains of an estimated 53 million amphorae. That’s a lot of olive oil – estimated at around 6 billion litres. We should remember that imperial Rome was at the time the world’s largest city, with a population of at least one million people. It was probably even higher in ancient times. Most of the pottery has been dated to the period between AD 140 and 250, though the base of the hill may be much older.
Monte Testaccio in Rome (Google Maps)
With a circumference of nearly a kilometre (0.6 mi), it’s one of the largest spoil heaps found anywhere in the ancient world, covering an area of 2 hectares (4.9 acres) at its base and with a volume of approximately 580,000 cubic metres (760,000 cu yd).
Monte Testaccio was not simply a haphazard waste dump; it was a highly organised and carefully engineered creation, presumably managed by a state administrative authority.
Summit of Monte Testaccio (Wikipedia, public domain)
An unusual addition to the seven ‘official’ hills within the city walls: Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quirinal and Viminal.
So there are three examples of ‘big’ in respect of the Romans. Any others spring to mind?
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers – INCEPTIO, CARINA (novella), PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, NEXUS (novella), INSURRECTIO and RETALIO, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories. JULIA PRIMA and EXSILIUM, set in the late 4th century, tell the story of Roma Nova’s foundation. Audiobooks are available for four of the series. Double Identity, Double Pursuit and Double Stakes form a new contemporary thriller series. A new collection of Roma Nova short stories, HEROICA, is now out.
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