64 The Imperial Government
FinesandPenalties
Fromthetakingofbona damnatorumitwasonlyashortsteptothetakingof
finesforlesseroffenses.TheGnomonshowstheFiscusreceivingpenaltiesfor
breachesofstatusregulations,^124 andanumberofscattered‘‘penalties’’(poe-
nae)duetotheFiscusareattestedintheDigestandtheFragmentadeiurefisci.^125
Moreinteresting,andmuchmoredifficulttounderstandinlegalterms,are
caseswherepenaltiesbecomeduetotheFiscusasaresultofspontaneouspri-
vateaction.Thesecasesdivideintotwotypes:contracts,wheretheparties
agree in case of breach to paya penalty (prostimon) to the Fiscus overand
abovewhatispaidtotheinjuredparty;andsepulchralimprecations,where
amanhasinscribedonhistombapenalty(payable,usually,byanyonewho
puts in another body) which will be due to the Fiscus,or to a local com-
munity(orboth);andinsuchcasesasumissometimesalsoallottedtothe
informerwhobringsthecase.Theinstitutionoftheprostimoninprivatecon-
tractsisattestedinPtolemaicEgypt;thesumwenttotheking,buttheforce
of the contract was in this respect, so faras is known, conventional rather
thanlegal.^126 ThesameinstitutionisfoundatDuraintheParthianperiod;
the formula of the penalty is ‘‘to the king’s treasury [to basilikon] the same
amount.’’^127 DocumentsoftheRomanperiodfromDurashowtheinstitu-
tioncontinuing;adivorcecontractofa.d.204has‘‘andtothefiscusthesame
- Paras.43and44.Cf.para.105—confiscationofhalfpropertyforlendingmoneyat
over12percent.
125.Dig.47,12,3,5,arescriptof Hadrianlayingdownafinepayablebythose‘‘who
burycorpsesinsidethecity’’;seePaulus,Sent.1,21,2:thiswaspunished‘‘extraordinem’’;
49,14,1,praef.:occasionsof‘‘denunciationtothefiscus’’(nuntiatio ad fiscum)—‘‘thatahouse
has been destroyed.’’ TheS.C. de aedificiis non diruendis(‘‘decree of the Senate against the
demolitionof buildingsforprofit’’)ofa.d.44and56(FIRA^2 I,45)hadlaiddownafine
payabletotheAerarium.Frag. de iure fisci1,8,givesafinepayabletotheFiscusbyaman
‘‘whocontrarytotheedictofthedeifiedAugustusboughtdisputedpropertyfromsomeone
whohadnotitletoit’’and1,9givesafine‘‘whichisclaimednowbythefiscus’’forselling
oracquiringfugitiveslaves(fugitivi).ComparealsothecuriousinscriptionfromCilicia,
IGRIII864OGIS579,‘‘Theydecided:ifsomeoneiscaughtusingaCilicianmeasure,he
istogivetwenty-fivedenariitothefiscus,’’andadecreeofMylasain209/211(OGIS515
Abbott and Johnson, no. 133) which lays down (ll. 25–27) a fine for illegal exchange—‘‘a
freemanwillpaytothemostsacredtreasuryofourlords,thedivineemperors...’’ - Préaux(n.92),408.SeeA.Berger,Die Strafklauseln in den Papyrusurkunden(Leipzig
andBerlin,1911),31.
127.Dura Final ReportV.1,nos.19(l.17),20(l.21).Theformulaisrestoredinnos.21,
22,24.