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

Cash Distributions in Rome 95

Icannotcalculatethetotalweightofthepayduetobetransportedinthis
carriage (ochema); it is more important to make the effort to imagine the
thousandsoflocaljourneysofthistype,repeatedacrossthevastexpanseof
theEmpire.
However,Ihavedeliberatelyleftasideaquestionofcentralimportance
forourpurposes:whatproportionofjourneysofthistypehadastheirdes-
tinationthecityofRome?Inmyopinionwewouldbeentitledtoexclude
thepossibilitythatthetotalityofthetaxationrevenuesincashfromallthe
provinces was first transported to Rome, then to be re-directed to other
provinces.Itisatleastveryprobablethatalargeproportionofthetaxation
revenuescirculateddirectlyfromoneprovincetoanother,withoutgoingto
Rome.Itshouldbestressed,however,thattothebestofmyknowledgeour
documentationonthisquestionispreciselynil.
However,evenifonlyamodestproportionofthetaxationrevenuesfrom
theprovincesflowedeachyeartoRomeintheformofcoin,wemustat
anyratesupposethattheindirect(notdirect)taxesleviedinRomeandItaly
werenotsufficientfortheneedsofthecapital.By‘‘indirecttaxes’’Imean
thevicesimaehereditatiumandlibertatis(the5percenttaxesoninheritancesand
manumissions),thecentesima rerum venalium(the1percenttaxauctiontax),
andtheportoria(tolls).^20 Atanyrate,whetherfromRomeandItalyorfromthe
provinces,quitesignificantsumswererequiredeachyearinRomemerely
topaythesoldiersstationedthere,letaloneforotherpurposes.Forinstance,
inthereignofSeptimiusSeverus,towhichIwillreturnlaterinconnection
withcongiaria,thetotalannualpayoftheunitsstationedinRomewasper-
hapssomethingoftheorderof12milliondenarii.^21 Ifthesesumswerestill
paidinthreestipendia(instalments),some4milliondenariiwillhavebeen
requiredeachtime,andforthetransportofthissumthirtywagonswillhave
beenrequired,eachdrawnbyfouroxen.Inanycase,ifthesecalculationsare

20. FortheverylowlevelofadministrativeorfiscalactivityinItalyonthepartofthe
    RomanstateduringtheearlierEmpire,seeF.Millar,‘‘ItalyintheRomanEmpire,Augustus
    toConstantine,’’Phoenix40(1986):295–318(chapter17inthisvolume).


21. ForthetotalnumberofsoldiersinthevariousunitsstationedinRomeunderSepti-
    miusSeverus,seeE.Birley,‘‘SeptimiusSeverusandtheRomanArmy,’’Epigraphische Studien
    8(1969):63–82,reprintedinThe Roman Army: Papers, 1929–1986(1988),21–40.Accordingto
    thesecalculationsthetotalnumberofsoldiersinthepraetoriancohorts,theurbancohorts,
    and thevigiles(fire brigades) was some 23,000. As is well known, the pay levels of these
    variousunits(andevenmore,evidently,thatofthevariousgradesbetweenmiles gregarius
    [commonsoldier]andcenturionintheseunits)isverydifficulttodetermine.Asarough
    basisIhaveestimatedtheiraverageannualpayat500denarii,or2,000sestertii.