I think the parent is asking, how do we know that story is truly how it happened? Perhaps it's an allegory about profit like you said, to teach others not to ki

I think the parent is asking, how do we know that story is truly how it happened? Perhaps it's an allegory about profit like you said, to teach others not to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, as a parallel. Another comment in this thread talked about how changes in Roman microclimate made it unable to thrive anymore.