Board Thread:Timeline Discussions/@comment-4923787-20130202175501/@comment-32656-20130318083138

Not really - not compared to others, anyways. Yes, it was a trading city - but not a big one, really. Trade didn't come through the region, by and large, until after it became the capital otl.

...Why would Vespasian do that? There is absolutely no reason for him to do that. About the most he'd do is establish some sort of defenses to block out any enemy fleets from easy access through the straits - but he'd not do that for a while. There's not anything in that area worth really going after, after all.

The trade that went through the region, really, came through Egypt anyway - then it went to the capital, and beyond. And with Vespasian based there.... Think about it.