MURI rusange, amato atwara abagenzi gusa ntiyabagaho mu gihe cya Pawulo. Abantu bifuzaga gukora ingendo n’amato, barabaririzaga kugira ngo bamenye niba hari amato atwara ibicuruzwa (cyangwa imizigo) agana mu kerekezo bifuza kujyamo, bakanabaza niba yakwemera gutwara n’abagenzi (Ibyak 21:2, 3). N’iyo ubwato bwabaga butagiye nezaneza aho umugenzi yifuzaga kujya, iyo bwageraga ku cyambu, yashoboraga gufata ubundi bumujyana hafi y’aho agiye.—Ibyak 27:1-6.

Akenshi ingendo zo mu nyanja zakorwaga mu bihe byihariye by’umwaka, kandi amato ntiyakoreraga ku masaha. Abasare basubikaga ingendo bitewe n’ikirere kimeze nabi. Abasare bagenderaga ku miziririzo bo bashoboraga no gusubika ingendo bitewe n’uko babonye ibintu bavugaga ko bitera “umwaku,” wenda nk’igikona kiririmba gihagaze ku migozi y’ubwato, cyangwa ubwato bwamenetse. Abasare bafataga ingendo bitewe n’uko imiyaga imeze. Iyo babonaga imiyaga ituje batsuraga ubwato bakagenda. Iyo umugenzi yabonaga ubwato bumujyana, yazanaga imizigo ye hafi y’icyambu, agategereza ko batangaza ko ubwato bugiye guhaguruka.

Umuhanga mu by’amateka witwa Lionel Casson yaravuze ati: “Umugi wa Roma wari warashyizeho uburyo bwo gufasha abagenzi kubona ubwato bitabagoye. Icyambu cyawo cyari aho uruzi rwa Tibre rwirohera mu nyanja. Hafi y’umugi wa Ostia hari ibiro byinshi bashoboraga kubarizamo amakuru y’amato. Ibyinshi muri ibyo biro, byari iby’abantu bafite amato ajya ku byambu bitandukanye: Hari ab’i Narbonne [ubu ni mu Bufaransa], ab’i Carthage [ubu ni muri Tuniziya] n’abandi. Umuntu wese washakaga gukora urugendo, yajyaga kubaza abakorera muri ibyo biro akurikije aho yifuza kujya.”

Nubwo ingendo zo mu mazi zatumaga abagenzi bagera iyo bajya vuba, ntibaburaga guhura n’ingorane. Igihe Pawulo yakoraga ingendo z’ubumisiyonari, hari ubwo ubwato bwamumenekeragaho.—2 Kor 11:25.