Roman Empire History

I think perhaps the most important thing for us to know of Rome is that it exhausted its supply of gold, and when this happened, it began having serious economic troubles, which becomes serious political problems.  It began cutting its gold coins with cheaper metals, and this devalued their coins.  Because the coins were devalued, it took more of them to buy things.  Not so different from $14,000 houses costing $200,000, and then having a banking crisis because people are trying to pay more for housing then they can not afford. 

I don't think the historians paid any more attention to the importance of mineral resources, than present economist.  I will give you the history from a geologist point of view and you can draw your own conclusion.  The is from Younguist's book "Mineral Resources and the Destinies of Nations".

The ability of the Romans to ultimately develop an iron based weaponry, and the depletion of Greek mineral resources and its treasury, finally led to the defeat of Greece and the transfer of what was lift of the Greek treasury to Rome.  But Rome also developed problems based on precious metals or lack thereof.  Unable to take advantage of the present day method of government finance, because the printing press had not yet been invented, the possession of the metals, gold and silver, was all important......... the Italian peninsula itself had very little in the way of metal, and especially precious metal resources.  The precious metal mines of Spain were a major factor in supplying the gold and silver which made the Roman currency of value.  But as these mines were depleted, the Roman currency began to debase their currency, eventually to the point where it became virtually worthless.  The Romans ultimately were unable either to pay their mercenary armies or to import the goods needed to sustain their standard of living.  There were other reasons involved in the fall of Rome, but debasement of its currency was an important contributing factor.

The Persians were constantly after that mineral wealth and plundered a lot of it from Greece, leading to Alexander invading Persia to get it back.   So the Persians were not just competing with Rome, they were out to get the mineral wealth that originates as the Greeks wealth, is stolen by Persians, returned by Alexander, and taken again by Rome.