The ''a rationibus'' was the secretary of finance in the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...

and in charge of the imperial treasury, the ''

fiscus ''Fiscus'', from which comes the English term "fiscal", was the name of the personal chest of the List of Roman emperors, emperors of Rome. The word is literally translated as "basket" or "purse" and was used to describe those forms of revenue col ...

''. His responsibilities involved monitoring the state's revenues and expenditures and maintaining the accounts of the ''fiscus'', giving the ''a rationibus'' considerable influence. The role of the ''a rationibus'' was originally created by

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

, who needed accurate and comprehensive accounts of the state's finances in order to exercise budgetary control, and was thus given to members of his household, probably

freedmen A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom a ...

. This role was then institutionalized in the position of the ''a rationibus'', who was paid a salary by the ''

aerarium Aerarium, from ''aes'' (“bronze, money”) + -''ārium'' (“place for”), was the name given in Ancient Rome to the public treasury, and in a secondary sense to the public finances. ''Aerarium populi Romani'' The main ''aerarium'', that ...

'' and given an office in the Palatine bureaus, under

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

. Roman patrician families such as the Junii Silani may also have designated their accountants as "a rationibus", although this custom fell out of practice when the imperial office of the ''a rationibus'' became institutionalized and had vanished at the latest under

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unti ...

's reign.Brunt, P.A. (1966). "The 'Fiscus' and Its Development". ''Journal of Roman Studies'', 56, pp. 75-91. Within his role as accountant, the careful bookkeeping of military expenditures, the costs of the public distribution of grain, religious constructions and infrastructure projects, but also the embellishment of the imperial palace, and project public revenues, e.g. from the Empire's various mines, were among the ''a rationibus' '' most important tasks. Moreover, the ''a rationibus'' was also responsible for the behavior of the magistrates of the ''fiscus'' and public complaints were addressed to his office. The ''praepositus a rationibus'' was helped by his chief subordinate, the ''proximus a rationibus'', and strongly relied on the continuous confidence of the emperor, as evidenced by the consequences of Tiberius Iul. Aug. lib.'s dismissal. Sometimes, the offices of the ''a rationibus'' and ''

ab epistulis ''Ab epistulis'' was the chancellor's office in the Roman Empire with responsibility for the emperor's correspondence. The office sent ''mandata'' (instructions) to provincial governors and other officials. ''Ab epistulis'' wrote in Latin (''ab e ...

'', the secretary in charge of the imperial correspondence, were joined, e.g. in the case of Tiberius Claudius Vibianus Tertullus. The office of ''a rationibus'' was initially held by freedmenWeaver, P.R.C. (1965). "Freedmen Procurators in the Imperial Administration." ''Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte'', 14, pp. 460-469. such as

Pallas Pallas may refer to: Astronomy * 2 Pallas asteroid ** Pallas family, a group of asteroids that includes 2 Pallas * Pallas (crater), a crater on Earth's moon Mythology * Pallas (Giant), a son of Uranus and Gaia, killed and flayed by Athena * Pa ...

, Phaon, and the father of Claudius Etruscus. However, from the 2nd century AD on (i.e., around the reigns of

Trajan Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...

and Hadrian), the position was occupied only by

Equestrians Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

('' Equites'') after the reputation of freedmen had been blackened due to their undue influence at the imperial court and several corruption affairs. The office of the ''a rationibus'' was abolished through Diocletian's tetrarchic reforms, which put the management of the imperial finances during the 4th and 5th century AD under the purview of the ''

comes sacrarum largitionum The ''comes sacrarum largitionum'' ("Count of the Sacred Largesses"; in el, , ''kómes tōn theíon thesaurōn'') was one of the senior fiscal officials of the late Roman Empire and the early Byzantine Empire. Although it is first attested in ...

'' (master of the sacred largess).

References

{{reflist Government of the Roman Empire Economy of ancient Rome Economic history of Italy Ancient Roman occupations

See also

References