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

The Aerarium and Its Officials 77

ofClutoriusPriscusbytheSenateina.d.21itwasresolvedthataninterval
oftendaysshouldbeleftbeforedecisionsoftheSenatewererecordedinthe
Aerarium.^30
Inthisperiod,theearlyEmpire,thereisacertainconflictofevidenceas
towhichofficialslookedafterthepublicrecords.Dio,undertheyear11b.c.,
recordsthatthequaestorswereorderedtokeepdecreesoftheSenate,be-
causeofnegligencebythetribunesandaedileswhohadpreviouslyhadthe
job.^31 Undera.d.16hementionsthatthepublicdocumentshadbeenlostor
damagedinthecourseoftime,andthatthreesenatorswereappointedtoput
theminorder.^32 Threeinscriptionsappeartorefertothesesenators.Onehas
C.UmmidiusDurmiusQuadratus,quaestorofDivusAugustusandTiberius
(i.e.,ina.d.14),aedile,praetor(in18),and(atthesametime?)‘‘keeperofthe
publicrecords.’’^33 ThenL.CoiediusCandidus,whowasquaestoroftheAera-
riuminthefirstyearofClaudius’newsystem,wasalso‘‘keeperofthepublic
records’’—again possiblyat the same time.^34 Finallya building inscription
fromRomedatingto46has‘‘through’’(per)...threenames...‘‘keepers
ofthepublicrecords.’’^35 Thusitisnotclearwhatdivisionoffunctionsthere
was,aconfusionnothelpedbyTacitus’descriptionofthejobtransferredby
Claudiusin44—‘‘thechargeofthepublicrecords.’’^36
PlinytheYounger,however,listinghisdutiesasprefectoftheAerarium,
says,‘‘Imakeuptherecords,’’^37 anditisclearthatdocumentscontinuedtobe
keptattheAerarium,astheyhadbeenbefore.Officialoathshadbeentaken
attheAerariumintheRepublic,andrecordedthere;^38 whenMarcusAurelius
institutedaregisterofbirths,itwaskept‘‘withtheprefectsoftheAerarium
of Saturn,’’ and registration required a formal declaration (professio)bythe
fatherbeforetheprefect.^39 Thentherewastheregisterofembassiescurrently
inRome,ofwhichthepurposehadoriginallybeenfinancialbut,intheEm-
pire,wassonolonger.Plutarch,intheRoman Questions,askswhyembassies
to Rome go to the temple of Saturn and register with the prefects of the

30. Tac.,Ann.3,51,3;Dio48,20,4.


31. Dio54,36,1.


32. Dio57,16,2.
    33.CILX5182ILS972.SeePIR^1 U600.
    34.CILXI6163ILS967.SeePIR^2 C1257.
    35.CILVI916VI31201,wherethereadinginAnon.Einsiedl.(theonlyauthorityfor
    theinscription),firstrejectedbyMommsenandthen,inStaatsrechtII^3 ,558,n.3,accepted,
    isrestored,unjustifiablyinmyopinion.


33. Tac.,Ann.13,28,5.


34. Pliny,Ep.1,10,9.


35. Val.Max.2,8,1;Appian,BC1,137;CILI^2 582Bruns,Fontes^7 ,no.8,1,17.
    39.HA,vita Marc. Ant.9,7–8;vita Gord.4,8.Cf.Serv.,ad Georg.2,502.