ROMAN ECONOMY
In the first century, artisans in Italy made pottery, woven cloth, blown glass, and jewelry for sale throughout the empire. The provinces sent Italy silk cloth and spices. At Rome's harbor the dockworkers unloaded raw materials from Britain and Spain. Soon after that skillful Greek traders were doing business in Africa, Southeast Asia, and China. Economic changes made changes in lifestyles. The family became less significant than it had been during the republic and society became less stable.
I got my information from the World History book (Mounir A. Farah, Andrea Berens Karls , 1999)