Natural Resources in Roman Egypt Extraction, Transport, and Administration

The administration of natural resources in Roman Egypt deserves more scholarly attention. Focusing on a number of case studies, this paper collects some of the relevant data, considers the extraction of natural resources, their transport, and administration, and suggests questions for further study. The Roman state carefully regulated the supply and sale of natural resources, and their administration was carried out by contractors and liturgists who were also regulated. While the state was able to profit directly from the exploitation of natural resources, it was also able to devolve their administration onto the local population. This paper seeks to understand some ways in which Rome made demands on its provincial territory.