The Empire is perhaps best thought of as a network of regional economies, based on a form of "political capitalism" in which the state monitored and regulated commerce to assure its own revenues.
Kekaisaran Romawi dianggap maju dari segi jaringan perekonomian daerah, yang berdasarkan pada bentuk "kapitalisme politik", dengan negara mengawasi dan mengatur kegiatan perdagangan untuk meraup pendapatan.