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

The Aerarium and Its Officials 87

liable,foritshowstheofficialsoftheAerariumdoingwhattheyhadalways
done,makingpaymentsontheauthorityofothers.

FinancialDecisions

It will already be abundantlyclear that the Aerarium could not have been
thesourceofpolicydecisionsaboutfinance.Itwill,however,beworthlist-
ingthefewoccasionsonwhichtheAerariumofficialsappearonthepolitical
stage.IntheAd HerenniumwefindtheurbanquaestortellingtheSenate‘‘the
Aerariumcannotaffordsuchalargess’’(theLexFrumentaria,whichfixedthe
priceofcorn,of100b.c.).^113 UnderTiberiusasenatorroseintheSenateto
claimcompensationfortheunderminingof hishousebytheconstruction
ofapublicroad;thepraetorsoftheAerariumresistedtheclaim,soTiberius
paidhimself.^114 Ina.d.70thepraetorsoftheAerarium,‘‘complainingabout
the povertyof the public treasury [i.e., the Aerarium], demanded to put a
limittoexpenditure.’’^115 Finally,thereisaratherdifferenttypeofcase,re-
cordedinPliny’sletters.Thescribeofaprovincialquaestordiedbeforethe
paymentof hissalary.Onhisreturnthequaestorconsultedtheemperoras
towhatshouldbedonewiththemoney,andhesentthemattertotheSen-
ate.ItwasdealtwithasacasebetweentheprefectsoftheAerariumandthe
heirs,eachsideemployingacounsel(advocatus).^116 Nothingcouldillustrate
moreclearlythecomparativelyhumbleroleoftheAerariumofficials.
Theirunimportance—inthissense—isconfirmedbythefactthatattempts
atfinancialpolicymakingintheearlyEmpire(insofarastherewereany)
werenotmadebyorthroughthem.Ina.d.6wefindAugustusappointing
threeconsularschosenbylottocutpublicexpenditure.^117 In42Claudiusap-
pointedthreepraetorianstorecovermoneyowedtothestate.^118 In56Nero
put40millionHSintotheAerarium‘‘tomaintainpubliccredit,’’^119 andsix
yearslaterheplacedthreeconsularsinchargeofthepublicrevenues,abusing
earlieremperors for spending ahead of income and claiming that he him-

113.Ad Herenn.1,12,21.SeeBroughton,MRRI,575–76.

114. Tac.,Ann.1,75,3–4.


115. Tac.,Hist.4,9.


116. Pliny,Ep.4,12,2–4.


117. Dio55,25,6.


118. Dio60,10,4.ComparetherecoveryofpublicmoneybyC.SentiusSturninusas
     consulof19b.c.,Vell.Pat.2,92.


119. Tac.,Ann.13,31,2.ThenearestparalleltothisphraseseemstobeLivy7,27,4and
     23,48,9.