Responsibilities for managing transport were assigned to local elites as "liturgies," shifting the operational burden to local farmers while the state maintained central control. Economics of Animal Ownership
Transport was vital for supplying the Roman army and maintaining remote outposts in the Eastern Desert. Land Transport in Roman Egypt: A Study of Econo...
The state organized the movement of tax grain from threshing floors to village granaries, and finally to river ports for shipment to Rome. Adams argues that despite the Nile's dominance as
Adams argues that despite the Nile's dominance as a "natural highway," land transport remained an essential and sophisticated part of the ancient economy . He suggests that land transport was more integrated into private commerce and state administration than previously assumed, allowing for vigorous trading activity rather than restricting growth. The Role of the Roman State As the first systematic treatment of the topic,
This subject refers to the 2007 monograph by , titled Land Transport in Roman Egypt: A Study of Economics and Administration in a Roman Province . As the first systematic treatment of the topic, it utilizes extensive papyrological evidence to challenge "primitivist" views that land transport was an economic failure in antiquity due to high costs. Core Argument and Thesis