Publicans and Sinners

1
Publicans and Sinners

• Private Enterprise in Republican Rome

2
In twocases the title of Maximus or the
Greatest was bestowed by the peopleon Fabius
Rullus late 4th century BCE because he expelled
from the Senate a number of people who were
descended from ex-slaves and had got themselves
enrolled as senators because of their
wealth.Plutarch, Pompey, 13

• An Early Example of the Influence
• Of Wealth in Roman Politics?

3
Contrasting Viewpoints

• Badian and Crawford on Roman Imperial Motivations

4
The whole myth of economic motives in Romes
foreign policy at this time second century BCE
is a figment of modern anachronism, based on
ancient anachronism, like so many modern myths
about the ancient world. Though exposed by Tenney
Frank long ago, it is still from time to time
fashionably reaffirmed but it should be allowed
to die.E. Badian, Publicans and Sinners (pg.
20)
5
Roman Financial Exploitation of Conquered
PeoplesIn her dealings with foreign powers Rome
had for some time taken the convenient view that
since wars were always the fault of the other
party, the other party should re-imburse Rome for
the outlay she had been forced to undertake. Thus
indemnities were imposed on Hiero of Syracuse,
Carthage after the First Punic War, Illyria after
both wars, Carthage after the Second Punic War,
Macedonia, Boeotia and Sparta after the Second
Macedonian War, Syria and her Aetolian ally after
the First Syrian War.Michael Crawford, Rome
and the Greek World Economic Relationships,
Economic History Review 30 (1977) 43
6
Monetization and Empire The Case of the Greek
EastThe use of city revenues to pay tribute
to the Romans was, it can be argued, responsible
for the end of the cities as independent fiscal
units, a state of affairs which brought with it
the end of the silver coinages of the cities.
Michael Crawford, Rome and the Greek World
Economic Relationships, Economic History Review
30 (1977) 43
7
The Roman Silver Denarius Introduced late 3rd
century BCE
8
The Politics of Aristocratic Empires the Case of
Rome?

• John Kautsky

9
The collection of incomeis an absolutely
essential aspect of aristocratic empires. If,
obviously, aristocrats tax in order to have
empires, it is equally true that they have
empires in order to tax.John H. Kautsky, The
Politics of Aristocratic Empires, 150
10
It can quite reasonably be argued that where the
aristocracy consumes the entire surplus produced
by the peasantry there can be no trade.
Consequently, the very existence of commerce
introduces an element of modernity and of change
into aristocratic empires. One could then define
as pure aristocratic empires only those
containing no commercial townspeople at
all.John H. Kautsky, The Politics of
Aristocratic Empires, 28-9
11
Economic Motivations for Empire and Roman
Interest Groups

• Senatorial Class
• War booty, extortion of bullion and coined money
  from conquered, precious art objects, slaves
• Equestrian Class
• Supply of Roman army contracts for tax
  collection in the provinces
• Rank-and File
• Donatives and plunder

12
Economic Motivations

• The Senatorial Aristocracy and Empire

13
As he ended his speech ca. 150 BCE it is said
that Cato shook out the folds of his toga and
contrived to drop some figs on the floor of the
Senate house, and when the senators admired their
size and beauty he remarked that the country
which produced them Carthage was only
three-days sail away.Plutarch, Life of Cato
the Elder, 27.1-2
14
In his triumph 187 BCE Gnaeus Manlius carried
212 golden crowns, 220,000 pounds of silver,
2,103 pounds of gold, 127,000 Attic 4-drachma
pieces, 250,000 cistophoroi, 16,320 gold
Philippic coinsLivy, History of Rome, 39.7
15
M. Licinius CrassusCertainly the Romans say
that in the case of Crassus many virtues were
obscured by one vice, since it was such a
predominant one that other evil propensities
which he may have had were scarcely noticeable.
How avaricious he was can best be proved by
considering the vastness of his fortune and the
ways in which he acquired it.When he made up
his accounts before setting out on the expedition
to Parthia, he found that he was worth 7,100
talentshe amassed most of this property by means
of fire and war public calamities were his
principal source of revenue.Plutarch, Crassus 2
16
Words cannot express, gentlemen, how bitterly we
are hated among foreign nations owing to the
wanton and outrageous conduct of the men whom
lately we have sent to govern them. For in those
countries what temple do you suppose has been
held sacred by our officers, what state
inviolable, what home sufficiently guarded by its
closed doors? Why, they look about for rich and
flourishing cities that they may find an occasion
of war against them to satisfy their lust for
plunder.Cicero, On the Manilian Law, 22.65-66
17
The Problem of the Senate and Financial
Motivations for Empire

• Senatorial aristocracy respectable wealth
  landed wealth (cf. Kautsky)
• The lex Claudia of 218 BCE (Livy 21.63)
• The closing of the silver mines in Macedonia in
  167 BCE (Livy 45.18)
• Tribute-free Italy after 167 BCE (Pliny, Natural
  History, 33.56)
• Roman aristocratic conceptions of gloria and
  virtus

18
Gaius Flaminius was also hated by the senators
on account of an unprecedented law which Quintus
Claudius the tribune of the plebs had introduced
218 BCE, despite the opposition of the Senate,
with the backing of Gaius Flaminius alone of all
that body, providing that no senator or senators
son should own a sea-going ship of more than 300
amphoras burdenthis was reckoned to be
sufficient to transport the crops from ones
fields, and all money making was held to be
unseemly in a senator.Livy, History of Rome,
21.63
19
The Senate passed a decree 187 BCE that the
Ambraciots should recover all their property
that they should be free and enjoy their own
laws that they should collect port duties at
their pleasure, by land and sea, provided that
the Romans and the allies of the Latin
confederacy should be exempt from paying
them.Livy, History of Rome, 38.44.4-5
20
Economic Motivations

• The Equestrian Class and Empire

21
The Publicani

• Senate lets out contracts for public contracts,
  including tax collection in provinces
• Equestrian order buys up contracts
• Conflicts between governing (senatorial
  governors) and commercial (equestrian) interests
• The Province of Asia
• The Extortion Court (149 BCE)

22
Publicani and Politics

• Special-Interest Lobbying?

23
For a long time previously before ca. 230 BCE
the Illyrians had been in the habit of
maltreating vessels sailing from Italy, and now
while they were in Phoenice, a number of them
detached themselves from the fleet and robbed or
killed many Italian traders, capturing and
carrying off no small number of prisoners. The
Romans had up to now turned a deaf ear to the
complaints made against the Illyrians, but now
when a number of people approached the Senate on
the subject, they appointed two envoysto proceed
to Illyria and investigate the matter.Polybius,
History, 2.8
24
Economic Motivations

• The Rank-and-File and Empire

25
But when Lucullus merely wasted and ravaged the
country in his campaign in Bithynia and Galatia
in 73 BCE with cavalry incursionshis soldiers
found fault with him because he brought all the
cities over to him by peaceable measures he had
not taken a single one by storm, they said, nor
given them a chance to enrich themselves by
plunder.Plutarch, Life of Lucullus, 14.2-3
26
The Triumph of Cn. Manlius Vulso 187 BCE
(again)To the soldiers he gave 42 denarii each,
twice that amount to each centurion and three
times the amount to each cavalryman, and he gave
them also double pay.But the friends of Manlius
were able to curry favor with the people as well
at their instance a decree of the Senate was
passed that, with regard to the tax which had
been paid by the people into the treasury,
whatever portion of this was in arrears should be
paid out of the money which had been carried in
the triumph.Livy, History of Rome, 39.7