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

The Fiscus in the First Two Centuries 55

byhimtoCaesar’streasuryinRome’’—clearlyaprivatedebt.^56 ThusPliny
inthePanegyriccanpraiseTrajanatlengthforensuringthatjusticewasdone
incasesinvolvingtheFiscus.^57
Emperorssometimesjudgedfiscalcasesthemselves,asPlinyhintsinan-
otherpassage:‘‘[Y]oudidnotsitinjudgementtoenrichthefiscus’’;^58 are-
port on such a case before Marcus Aurelius appears in theDigest.^59 Butin
hismainpassageonfiscalcases(Pan.,36,4)Plinymentionswhathecalls‘‘a
tribuna l...inventedforthePrincipate,’’apparentlyareferencetoNerva’s
institutionofapraetor‘‘whowillpronouncejudgementbetweenthefiscus
and private people’’ (qui inter fiscum et privatos ius diceret).^60 Nothing more is
heardofthispost.
Nothingshowsmoreclearlyboththevolumeof litigationinwhichthe
Fiscuswasengaged,anditslegalstatus,thantheappearanceofthepostof
counselfortheFiscus(advocatus fisci),institutedbyHadrian.^61 Aprivateper-
soncould,butthestate(oranypartof it)couldnot,litigateandengagea
legaladviser.Thepostwassalariedanditsoccupantswerenotpermittedto
representprivatepersons,otherthantheircloserelationsororphans(pupilli),
againsttheFiscus.^62 AcounselfortheFiscus(advocatus fisci)mightbecon-
cernedwithaparticularareaofItalyortheprovinces,^63 withasinglepiece
(tractus)ofimperialproperty,^64 orwithacertaintypeofimperialrevenue.^65
While they were mainlyconcerned with representing the Fiscus in litiga-
tion,acoupleofpassagesintheDigestshowthattheyhadtherighttogive
judgement in cases where the freedom of a man who, if a slave,would be
includedwithpropertyduetotheFiscuswasinquestion.^66

56. Josephus,AJ18,6,3(158).AgrippahadbeeninRomeafewyearsearlier,hadbeena
    friendofTiberius’sonDrusus,andhadexhaustedhisfortune(AJ18,6,1).Pflaum,Carrières
    procuratoriennes,no.9,arguesthatCapitowasactingas‘‘collectorofrents[ortaxes]’’(Philo,
    Leg.199)andpursuingarrearsoftribute.ButJosephus’wordingmakesthisviewuntenable.
    57.Pan.36,3–4.
    58.Pan.80,1.
    59.Dig.28,4,3.
    60.Dig.1,2,2,32.
    61.HA,Had.20,6.
    62.Dig.3,1,10;Frag. de iure fisci2,16–17.


57. E.g.,EEV, 1203.


58. E.g.,AE1908,18.


59. E.g.,CILIX2565:‘‘tothecounselforthefiscusintheofficeconcernedwithinheri-
    tances.’’
    66.Dig.49,14,3,9(arescriptofHadrian);49,14,7.