I think you're kind of right in terms of the actual content of the article, but what it speaks to is a system capable of producing flour on an industrial scale.

I think you're kind of right in terms of the actual content of the article, but what it speaks to is a system capable of producing flour on an industrial scale. I was quite surprised to learn that there were many ways in which the Romans operated legitimate industries, in the sense of producing far more goods at single sites than the local demand. They had massive mining operations, pottery factories, and mill complexes.