Aerarium

• The Aerarium was the State Treasury of Rome located in the Temple of Saturn at the foot of the Capitoline Hill.

Under the Roman Republic

• This was the State Treasury under the Roman Republic, and it continued under the Roman Empire.
• It was located in the Temple of Saturn.
• The Roman Senate controlled the State Treasury, and elected a Quaestor to manage it.
• The Temple was divided in two areas:
  • The Common Treasury:
    • It received the Tributum and Vectigalia.
  • The Sacred Treasury:
    • The ‘Aerarium Sanctum’: It was created after the Sack of Rome by the Gauls in c. 390 BCE. It was never touched unless the Roman Republic faced an extreme emergency.
    • Its Revenue came from the Lex Manlia 357 BCE which claimed 5% on Roman Slaves who were given Manumissio.

Under the Roman Empire

• Under the Roman Empire in 28 BCE Augustus appointed two Praefectii Aerarii to manage the Treasury, who were ex Praetors.
• Aerarium
  • All Revenue from the Senatorial Provinces went to the Aerarium.
• Fiscus
  • All Revenue from the Imperial Provinces went to the Fiscus, the Emperor’s personal Treasury.

Other Treasuries

• Fiscus
  • This was the Emperor’s personal Treasury. It included the Revenues from the Imperial Provinces.
  • However, sometimes in times of poor cashflow, what belonged to the Roman Senate in the Aerarium, might be borrowed by the Emperor and returned later.
  • In French today, ‘Le Fisc’ means the Department of State responsible for the collection of Taxes.

• Aerarium Militare
  • This was the Military Treasury which went to provide the Roman Legionaries Pensions.
  • It received the Revenues of the Sales Tax and the Inheritance Tax.

Capitoline Hill