The Byzantine Empire also had a vast amount of per capita wealth mainly because the resources they desired could be acquired from various regions within the empire. Asia Minor and the Balkan regions generated grain production and animal husbandry, the Black Sea territories produced fish, timber, and mineral ore; Greece contributed wine and olive oil. The mass production of raw goods into consumer products such as textiles, metalwork, ceramics, tools, and luxury items took place in cities which were the centers of administration, education, and finance.Merchants were able to travel from city to city throughout the Mediterranean, up the Nile River, and down the Red Sea. The Byzantine solidus, a gold coin stamped with the image of the emperor,
