82 The Imperial Government
funds that the governor would need during his tenure; when a subsidiary
votewasmadeforCaesarinGaulCicerothoughthemighthavegotby‘‘with
thebootywhichhehadpreviouslywon.’’^73 Alternatively,itwaspossibleto
authorizethepromagistratetodrawmoneyonthespot;Pompeyin67was
givenauthority^74 —fromtheprovincialfisci(treasuries)andthepublicani.^75 It
isimportanttonotethattheevidencefortheseproceduresshowstheAera-
riumplayingnorolebeyondthehanding-outofalumpsum,oranannual
sum,inRome.
The Empire provides no direct evidence for similar procedures. Some
changeinthesystemwillhavecomewhensenatorialgovernorsbegantore-
ceiveafixedsalary—whichDiosaysbeganwithAugustus^76 andwhichwas
certainly the case in the late first and early third centuries.^77 Theyalso re-
ceived,atleastinAugustus’time,afixedallowance‘‘formulesandtents.’’^78
Butwedonotknowwhetherproconsuls,orlegatiAugustipropraetore,orboth,
werevotedsumsbytheSenateatthestartoftheirgovernorships.
Nordoweknowwhethersuchvoteswereregularlymadetotheemperor.
Jones surmises that recurrent grants were made to the emperor in respect
ofhis‘‘province’’butadmitsthatthereisnodirectevidence.^79 Infact,there
areafewitemsofevidence.Jerome’sChroniclerecordsundera.d.67that10
millionsestercesweredecreedtoNerobytheSenateasexpenses.^80 Marcus
AureliusaskedtheSenatetovotefundsforawar;Diostatesexplicitlythatthe
procedurewasexceptional:‘‘MarcusalsoaskedtheSenateformoneyfrom
theAerarium[to dēmosion],notbecausesuchfundswerenotalreadyatthe
emperor’s disposal, but because hewas wont to declare that all the funds,
boththeseandothers,belongedtotheSenateandtothepeople.’’^81 Finally,
a curious passage in theHistoria Augustastates that Commodus pretended
to be setting sail for Africa ‘‘so that he could get funds for the journey’’;^82
73.de prov. cons28;cf.Pro Balbo61andPlut.Caes.28.Itisnotclearwhetherthismeans
thatmoremoneywouldbesentoutfromRomeorthathewouldbeallowedtospendmore
intheprovince.
- Plut.Pomp.25;cf.App.Mith.94.
- SeeJones(n.71),23Studies,103–4.
- Dio53,15,4–5.
- Tac.,Agric.42,3;Dio78,22,5.
- Suet.,Div. Aug.36.
- Jones(n.71),24Studies,104–5.
- CompareOrosius7,7,8.
- Dio71,33,2.
82.Vita com.9,1.