The role of Italians in local economies of the late Roman Republic

Many Italians, i. e. people from Italy who did not possess Roman citizenship had access to land which they exploited commercially, both for growing agricultural products and for manufacture. They also played an important role in overseas commercial activities, in which they were protected by the Roman state against third parties. Their profits from this trade, and from wars fought in the Roman army, might have been considerable. At the same time many Italian towns and rural sanctuaries were expanded and monumentalized in the 2nd century BC. It is difficult to match individual traders and producers with the buildings erected in Italy ; nevertheless, it is clear that the most significant developments of public space took place in the areas from which many local inhabitants moved into the Mediterranean

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