Ærarium

In the ancient Rome, the Ærarium is the Treasury (especially during the République). It draws its name from aes , the Latin Bronze in . With the introduction of the Principat (beginning of the Empire, Auguste), the ærarium becomes the treasure managed by the Sénat The treasure sheltered the currencies and the resources of the public purses; as well as the laws engraved in bronze, the decrees of the Senate, and other registers important.

This Treasury was stored in the Temple of Saturn, with the Forum Romanum, on the Eastern slope of the Capitole.

Republic

Under the Republic, it was with the load of the urban Questeur S, under the supervision of the Senate. This provision perduré until 28 av. J. - C. (except in 43 av. J. - C., year when no questeur was appointed).

In addition to the Treasury, supplied with the taxes and intended for the ordinary expenditure, the exceptional funds ( aerarium sanctius ) were them also preserved at the Saturn temple, which collected a third of the spoils of war of the legions. These exceptional funds were also fed by a tax poured out of gold of 5% taken on the value of all the freed slaves (source established by the Lex Manillia , in 357 av. J. - C.). Except extreme case of need ( AD ultimos casus ), one did not touch at these funds. They for example were used during the Second Punic War or for Pompée then Jules César in -49. According to Pline Old the, the Treasury also assembled when César seized some with 15.000 visitors' books in ingots, 35.000 money books in ingots and 40 million Sesterce S.

The tribuni ærarii (powerful orators of the treasure) are the object of many discussions. Some suppose that they merge with the curatores tribuum ; that they are the official ones charged, in the organization of Servius Tullius, raising the tax of war (the Tributum) in the tribe S, and the taxable quota, for ærarium. They were also the cash clerks of the knights and the soldiers in service of each tribe. Of 70 with 46 av. J. - C., the powerful orators of the treasure allowed like were sworn in the courts having to judge the promagistrats, in addition to the senators and the knights. They thus formed an order of which we are unaware of almost all. They were then undoubtedly individuals rich and sizeable who could advance money with the Republic if the need were felt some, in particular to pour balances it with the armies.

Worsen

Under the Empire, the Senate keeps the nominal management of ærarium, the emperors having a separated treasure, the Fiscus. With time, the capacity of the emperors increased, and this distinction between treasure of the Senate and treasure of the emperor practically ceased. In 28 av. J. - C., Auguste transferred ærarium to the Préfet from ærarium, selected each year by the Senate among old the Préteur S. In -23, it is replaced by two praetors ( praetor aerari and praetor AD aerarium ).

Auguste created, in 6, a military treasure, named the ærarium militare , receiving all the taxes taken for the maintenance of the army, including the pensions for the invalid and reprocessed legionaries. It was however largely fed by the emperor himself, the taxes on the public sales and the heritages. Three prefects, the præfecti ærarii militaris , managed it. They initially drawn with the fate, then are indicated by the Emperor, among the senators of Praetorian row, for three years. The last emperors also had a ærarium privatum , for their own use, but managed in the interest of the empire.

Claude restores quaestorship in 44, but it allots their nomination, and increases their duration in station to three years. In 56, Néron substitutes to them for new two ex-praetors, selected same manner.

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