Tell me more ×
History Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for historians and history buffs. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 10 down vote favorite

What can be said about the state budget (aerarium + fiscus + a.militare + etc) spending of the Roman Empire at the time of Augustus, say 14 A.D.? Can it be estimated in sesterces?

share|improve this question

1 Answer

up vote 1 down vote

One caveat to trying to do this would be that Rome didn't exactly operate a modern capitalist society. For example, all the excess grain harvested in North Africa (including the Nile valley) was simply put on ships and given out to the public in Rome.

share|improve this answer
1  
I am okay with estimates in pounds of grain, liters of oil and ounces of gold. – horsh Sep 21 '12 at 16:02
Another thing to note was that often times, soldiers (and probably other people) weren't paid in money(like sesterces), many times they were paid in salt because it was so valuable at the time. – rm5248 Sep 26 '12 at 15:44
2  
It would suck if they were paid in salt when it was raining... – Russell Oct 1 '12 at 1:55
2  
The wikipedia article on Roman empire has an estimate of GDP in sesterces and wheat equivalent, btw. – horsh Oct 8 '12 at 15:01
on Roman economy, I mean, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_economy – horsh Oct 8 '12 at 18:59

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.