50 The Imperial Government
Theword‘‘fiscus’’appearsfrequentlyinconnectionwiththeownershipor
tenancyoflandedpropertiesbytheemperor.PlinytheEldersaysthatAugus-
tuspaidthecityofNaples20,000sestercesperyear‘‘fromhisownfiscus’’for
theCollisLeucogaeus^17 andalsomentionsthatinhistimetheFiscusranthe
balsamplantationsnearJerichoandsoldthecrops.^18 Theseplantationshad
aninterestinghistory,describedbyPlinyas‘‘royallands’’(presumablyofthe
Seleucids);theywerepresentedbyAntoniustoCleopatraandrentedfrom
herbyHerod.^19 WiththedeathofCleopatratheyprobablyfelltoOctavian
asbootyandwereretainedashisprivateproperty.^20 Asimilarfatebefellthe
Cyprus copper mines,which had been restored to Cleopatra by Antonius,
becameAugustus’privateproperty,ofwhichhegaveahalfsharetoHerod,^21
andwerestillimperialpropertyinthemiddleofthesecondcenturywhen
Galencollectedspecimensthere.^22 ThesepropertiesperhapsfelltoAugustus
asspoilsbyanalogywithmanubiae(‘‘spoilsofwar’’).For,althoughtheview
hasbeenexpressedthatmanubiaewerenotthepropertyoftheimperator,but
of the state, and that his rights were (in effect) restricted to the choice of
somepublicpurposetowhichtodevotethem,^23 theevidenceseemstome
toprovetheopposite,thattheimperatordidtakemanubiaeashisproperty—
andtheroleofmanubiaeasonesourceofAugustus’expenses(impensae)asre-
cordedintheRes Gestaeiswellknown.^24 IfmuchofthespoilsofEgypthad
togotothesoldiersorpoliticalallies^25 orbespentinRome,somecouldbe
retainedbyOctavianhimselfandpasstohissuccessors.^26 Again,thetroops
- Pliny,NH18,114.
- Pliny,NH12,113,123.
- Jos.,BJ1, 316, not mentioned inAJ15, 95. See H. Buchheim,Die Orientpolitik des
Triumvirn M. Antonius(Heidelberg,1960),68–69. - Itispossible,thoughitisnotstated,thatthebalsamplantationswereamongtheter-
ritoriesreturnedbyOctaviantoHerodin30b.c.,Jos.,BJ1,396AJ15,217.Inthatcasethe
plantationswillhavecometotheFiscuswhenthepropertyofArchelauswasconfiscated
ina.d.6(seen.113). - Jos.,AJ16,128.Cypruswasnow(12b.c.)apublicprovince.
- Galen(ed.Kühn),14,7.
- F.Bona,‘‘Sulconcettodi‘Manubiae’esullaresponsibilitàdelmagistratoinordine
allapreda,’’Stud.etDoc.Hist.etIur.26(1960):105. - SeeU.Wilcken,‘‘ZudenImpensaederResGestaediviAugusti,’’S-B Deutsche Ak.
Wiss.27(1931):772. - Dio51,17,7–8.
- Thereare,ofcourse,difficultieshereinthatrealpropertydidnotnormallyforma
partofbooty,ormanubiae.ThepropertiesconcernedareonesofwhichAntoniuswasable
todisposefreely,anditwasperhapsinthepracticeoftheTriumviralperiodthattheorigins
ofAugustus’rightstothepropertieslay.