How did Roman trade and other encounters with the non-Roman world affect the Roman Empire?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. As with the Alexandrian world, encounters with other cultures opened Roman opportunities to trade for luxury goods and necessities. Although, like the Greeks, Romans considered those who didn't speak Latin to be "barbarians," they had differing relationships with differing groups. Closer to the Empire, particularly with the Germanic and Celtic tribes, encounters were more hostile as those north of the Danube fought incorporation or annexation. To the East, however, Romans traded with different areas, as demonstrated by the hoards of Roman coins found beyond the boundaries of the empire. Roman trade with India, for example, became so prolific that the silver denarius (a Roman coin) became a standard coin in India. Romans sought trade goods such as silks, spices, gems and perfumes, and brought their own products of wine, olive oil, pottery, and iron to the east. One consequence noted was that there was a huge trade deficit for Rome, with much more silver flowing out than coming in.