Taxes and rents were usually paid in goods, so a peasant farmer or fisherman literally handed over to elites an estimated 20 to 40 percent of the catch, crop, or herd. To not pay taxes was regarded as rebellion because it refused recognition of Rome’s sovereignty over land, sea, labor, and production. Rome’s military retaliation was inevitable and ruthless. The Roman Empire was also a legionary empire. In addition to controlling resources, the elite ruled this agrarian empire by coercion. The dominant