88 The Imperial Government
self hadbeensubsidizingtheAerariumtotheextentof60millionHSper
year.^120 In70acommissionofsenatorswasselectedbylottorestorethepub-
licrecordsandplacealimitonexpenditure.^121 UnderNervain97theSenate
selectedfivesenators‘‘toreducepublicexpense’’;^122 itmayhavebeenontheir
recommendationthatNervacutexpenditurebyabolishingsomesacrifices,
horseraces,andotherspectacles.^123
Conclusion
Thischapterisdesignedonlytooutlinethefunctionsperformedbyandat
theAerariumitself.TheevidenceshowsthattheAerariumwasadepository
forcashanddocuments,someofwhichrelatedtofinance,andthatthechief
functionsofitsofficialsweretoacceptthecashanddocumentswhenlodged
there,topreservethem,andtomakepaymentswhenrequiredtodoso.They
paidoutinRome,andthetransportofthecashtowhereitwassupposedto
beusedwasamatterfortherecipient.^124 Theyacceptedaccountsfrompro-
vincialgovernorsontheirreturn,butkeptnogeneralaccountsofthestate’s
finances,andwereinnowayresponsibleforfinancialpolicy.Sofarascanbe
seen,theadventoftheEmpiremadenodifferencetotheirdutiesexceptto
addsomejudicialfunctions.
A numberof questions remain. Some are concrete—what cash actually
cameintotheAerarium,fromwhatsourcesofrevenueandfromwhatgeo-
graphical areas? Others are more matters of terminology (though still im-
portantfortheinterpretationoftheEmpireasapoliticalinstitution).How
longdidthevariousrevenuesoftheres publicacontinuetobecalled‘‘pub-
lic’’?HowarewetoseethecontrastbetweenAerariumandFiscus?Itmay
behopedthatsuchquestionsmaynowbeapproachedfromamoresecure
standpoint.
- Tac.,Ann.15,18,4.
- Tac.,Hist.4,40;see4,9.
- Pliny,Ep.2,1,9;Pan.62,2.
- Dio68,2,3.
- NoteNic.Dam.,FGrH90F.130,xviii:in44Octaviansentforthemoneywhich
Caesar had sent to Asia for the Parthian war, and when it arrived, along with the trib-
uteofAsia,abstractedwhatfellasinheritancetohimselfandputthepublicmoneyinthe
Aerarium.