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1. The Roman Empire, circa 100 AD: 25 to 30% of global output
1. 罗马帝国，公元100年前后：占全球经济产出总量的25%-30%
Rome was the distant descendant of the very first agricultural revolution, which took place in modern-day Iraq. Rome rose quickly from a small republic to a dominant global empire in a matter of centuries. It cemented its status as a superpower in a series of wars, known as the Punic Wars, with Ancient Carthage. These conflicts gave Rome complete dominance of the Mediterranean Sea, a body of water that enabled trade to flow easily from the economically vibrant areas of the empire, like the city of Rome and Egypt.
罗马是全球首次农业革命（发生在如今的伊拉克境内）的间接产物。在短短数百年的时间里，罗马就从一个小小的共和国，迅速崛起成一个举足轻重的全球帝国。通过与古迦太基（Ancient Carthage）进行的一系列战争——史称“布匿战争”（Punic Wars），罗马巩固了自己的超级大国地位。这些冲突让罗马获得了地中海地区的绝对统治，这处水域让罗马城和埃及等充满经济活力的地区可以方便的进行对外贸易。
As economists today know, trade is a vital ingredient for economic growth, and the Romans were better at it during their height than anybody else. There is also evidence that the Romans had a sophisticated financial system that made extensive use of bank notes and other forms of credit, which enabled traders to forgo hauling precious metals across long distances.
当今的经济学家们都知道，贸易是经济增长的一大要素，而鼎盛时期的罗马人比任何人都擅长贸易。此外，有证据表明，罗马人还拥有一套完善的金融体系，广泛使用银行票据及其他形式的信贷商品，让商人不用再远距离运送贵金属。
