74 The Imperial Government
TheBuilding
ThetempleofSaturn(aedesSaturni)whichstoodatthefootoftheroadupto
theCapitolHill(clivus Capitolinus),ontheedgeoftheForum,wasdedicated
probablyat the inception of the Republic, and from that time on was the
maindepositoryofthestate.^3 In78b.c.theTabularium,aconsiderablylarger
building,wasconstructedtothewestofthetempleofSaturn;weknowof
thefact,andthename,onlyfromtwoinscriptions,oneofwhichsurvives.^4
Thenameimpliesthat,liketheAerarium,itheldstatearchives(tabulae);the
absenceofanyreferenceinliteraturemakesitimpossibletodeterminewhat
divisionoffunctionswasintended.
The temple of Saturn itself, rebuilt or repaired by Munatius Plancus in
42 b.c.,^5 andrestoredagaininthefourthcentury,^6 isshowninpartonafrag-
mentoftheFormaUrbis(inscribedplanofthecity)madebyorderofSep-
timiusSeverus.^7 Neithertheplannortheexistingremainsmakeclearwhere
exactly the money, bullion, documents, and so forth were kept. Lugli has
noted some traces of a room situated within the right-hand projection of
thepodium,withasingledooropeningintotheForum,andregardsthatas
theAerariumitself.^8 Thisviewmustremainindoubt.Beside(orbehind)the
templelaytheAreaSaturni(theopenspacenexttothetemple).Aninscrip-
tiongivesadedicationbythenegotiatores(entrepreneurs)oftheAreaSaturni
toanurbanquaestor;^9 thespacewasevidentlysupposedtobepublicproperty,
foranotherinscriptionshowsthetwopraetorsoftheAerariumredeeming
it‘‘bytheauthorityofadecreeoftheSenate’’fromprivatepossession.^10
- SeePlatnerandAshby,Topographical Dictionary,463–65.
- Ibid.,506–8.
- Suet.,Div. Aug.29;CILVI1316ILS41;CILX6087ILS886.
6.CILVI937ILS3326. - SeeG.Carettoni,A.M.Colini,L.Cozza,andG.Gatti,La pianta marmorea di Roma
antica (Forma urbis Romae),XRepartizionedelCommunediRoma(Rome,1960),Tab.XXI
fr.18d,textp.75. - G.Lugli,Monumenti minori del Foro Romano(Rome,1947),29–30.Heuses(p.32)the
expression‘‘aerarium sanctumosanctius aerarium.’’Afewtexts(Livy27,10,11;ad Att.7,21,2;
Caesar,BC1,14,1)seemtoshowthattherewasaphysicalsub-divisionoftheAerarium
calledthe‘‘aerariumsanctius.’’ItisnotclearwhetherthisiswhatLuglimeans.
9.CILI^2 810XIV153ILS892.Thisdatestobefore28b.c.SeePIR^2 A54.
10.CILVI1265ILS5937.