Rome, the Greek World, and the East, Vol. 2 - Government, Society, and Culture in the Roman Empire

The Fiscus in the First Two Centuries 69

Conclusion

ItisthusclearthatmostreferencestotheFiscusdonotconcerneitherpublic
fundsortheiradministration.Onlythreeitemsofevidence,tomyknowl-
edge,seemtoshowtheFiscusasabranchofpublicfinancialadministration.
ThefirstcomesfromSuetonius’Augustus,anincidentinwhichLiviaasked
foragrantofcitizenshipforaGaulwhowastributarius(liableforpayment
oftribute);Augustusrefused,butofferedimmunityfromtributeinstead—
‘‘hewouldmorewillinglysufferalosstothefiscusthantheprostitutionof
thehonourof Romancitizenship.’’^161 Itisnot,perhaps,impossiblethatthe
senseofthepassageisthatinofferingimmunityAugustuswouldhavebeen
offeringtopaytheman’stributehimself,fromtheFiscus,justas,whenhe
grantedthecitiesofAsiaimmunityafteranearthquakein12b.c.,hepaid
theequivalentoftheirtributetotheAerarium.^162 Butthisisnottheobvi-
ousmeaningofthesentence.Alternatively‘‘fiscus’’heremightrefertothe
provincialFiscus(thefiscus GallicusasinILS1514),butthisseemsunlikely
inthecontext.Thesecondoccasionisthewell-knownreferenceinPliny’s
NaturalHistorytoAnniusPlocamus,‘‘quimarisRubrivectigalafiscoredeme-
rat.’’^163 ItisnormallytakenthatAnniusPlocamushadcontractedforthe25
percentcustomsdutyattheRedSeaports.^164 Pliny’sstory,however,concerns
Plocamus’freedmanwhowassailing‘‘circaArabiam’’(presumablyroundthe
south oreast coast of Arabia) and was blown by north winds past Carma-
niatoCeylon.TheareathestoryindicatesisthereforethePersianGulf,and
theremaybemorethananaccidentalconnectionbetweenthisandthefact
thatitwaspreciselyherethatoneofthemainpearlfisheriesoftheancient
worldlay.^165 Whatappearstobealistofimperialrevenues,givenbyStatius,
includes‘‘allthatiscollectedbythediverwhosearchestheEasternSea.’’^166
If IsuggestthatwhatPlocamuscontractedforfromtheFiscuswasnotthe
RedSeaportorium(apublictax)buttherighttoexploitthesepearlfisheries,
I need hardlyemphasize that I am doing no more than hazarding a guess.

161. Suet.,Div. Aug.40,6.


162. Dio54,30,3.IowethesuggestionoftheinterpretationofferedheretoMiriam
     Griffin.


163. Pliny,NH6,84.


164. Wallace(n.141),257,deLaet(n.2),306–7,D.Meredith,‘‘AnniusPlocamus:Two
     InscriptionsfromtheBereniceRoad,’’JRS43(1953):38.


165. SeeP-WXIV,1687–88.Pliny,NH9,106,givesthelocationofthepearlfisheriesas
     ‘‘aroundArabiainthebayoftheRedSeawhichisinPersia.’’


166. Statius,Silv.3,3,92.