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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §4.19.1-4.19.4

Recruitment and Taxation Based on Wealth

Passage 263 of 962 · Greek

Summary

The passage explains Servius Tullius's system of military recruitment and taxation, where the wealthy bore the heaviest burdens of service and expense while the poor were completely exempt, a layout designed to ensure fairness and avoid a mercenary-based army.

§4.19.1ταύτῃ τῇ διακοσμήσει χρησάμενος τὰς μὲν τῶν στρατιωτῶν καταγραφὰς κατὰ τὴν διαίρεσιν ἐποιεῖτο τὴν τῶν λόχων, τὰς δὲ τῶν εἰσφορῶν ἐπιταγὰς κατὰ τὰ τιμήματα τῶν βίων.
Having made use of this organization, he made the levies of soldiers according to the division of the centuries, and the assessments of taxes according to the ratings of their estates.
ὁπότε γὰρ αὐτῷ δεήσειε μυρίων ἢ δισμυρίων, εἰ τύχοι, στρατιωτῶν, καταδιαιρῶν τὸ πλῆθος εἰς τοὺς ἑκατὸν ἐνενηκοντατρεῖς λόχους τὸ ἐπιβάλλον ἑκάστῳ λόχῳ πλῆθος ἐκέλευε παρέχειν ἕκαστον λόχον· τὴν δὲ δαπάνην τὴν εἰς τὸν ἐπισιτισμὸν τῶν στρατευομένων καὶ εἰς τὰς ἄλλας χορηγίας τὰς πολεμικὰς ἐπιτελεσθησομένην συμμετρησάμενος, ὁπόση τις ἀρκοῦσα ἔσται, διαιρῶν τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον εἰς τοὺς ἑκατὸν ἐνενηκοντατρεῖς λόχους, τὸ ἐκ τῆς τιμήσεως ἐπιβάλλον ἑκάστῳ διάφορον ἅπαντας ἐκέλευεν εἰσφέρειν.
For whenever he had need of ten thousand or twenty thousand soldiers, as it might happen, dividing the total number among the one hundred and ninety-three centuries, he would order each century to furnish the number of men falling to its share; and after calculating the expenditure that would be incurred for the maintenance of those on service and for other military supplies, to see how much would be sufficient, dividing it in the same manner among the one hundred and ninety-three centuries, he would order all to contribute the sum falling to each according to their rating.
§4.19.2συνέβαινεν οὖν τοῖς τὰς μεγίστας ἔχουσιν οὐσίας ἐλάττοσι μὲν οὖσιν, εἰς πλείονας δὲ λόχους μεμερισμένοις, στρατεύεσθαί τε πλείους στρατείας οὐδέποτε ἀναπαυομένους καὶ χρήματα πλείω τῶν ἄλλων εἰσφέρειν· τοῖς δὲ τὰ μέτρια καὶ μικρὰ κεκτημένοις πλείοσιν οὖσιν ἐν ἐλάττοσι λόχοις, στρατεύεσθαί τʼ ὀλιγάκις καὶ ἐκ διαδοχῆς καὶ βραχείας συντελεῖν εἰσφοράς· τοῖς δʼ ἐλάττω τῶν ἱκανῶν κεκτημένοις ἀφεῖσθαι πάντων ὀχληρῶν.
It happened, therefore, that those who possessed the largest estates, though they were fewer in number, yet were divided into more centuries, had both to serve in more campaigns without ever resting and to contribute more money than the others; while those who possessed moderate and small estates, being more numerous and in fewer centuries, served but seldom and by rotation, and contributed small taxes; and those who possessed less than a sufficiency were exempt from all troublesome burdens.
§4.19.3ἐποίει δὲ τούτων ἕκαστον οὐκ ἄτερ αἰτίας, ἀλλὰ πεπεισμένος, ὅτι πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἆθλα τῶν πολέμων ἐστὶ τὰ χρήματα καὶ περὶ τῆς τούτων φυλακῆς ἅπαντες κακοπαθοῦσιν·
He did each of these things not without cause, but because he was convinced that to all men the prize of wars is their property, and it is for the preservation of this that all men undergo hardships.
ὀρθῶς οὖν ἔχειν ᾤετο τοὺς μὲν περὶ μειζόνων κινδυνεύοντας ἄθλων μείζονας ὑπομένειν κακοπαθείας τοῖς τε σώμασι καὶ τοῖς χρήμασι, τοὺς δὲ περὶ ἐλαττόνων ἧττον ἐνοχλεῖσθαι κατʼ ἀμφότερα, τοὺς δὲ περὶ μηδενὸς δεδοικότας μηδὲν κακοπαθεῖν, τῶν μὲν εἰσφορῶν ἀπολυομένους διὰ τὴν ἀπορίαν, τῶν δὲ στρατειῶν διὰ τὴν ἀνεισφορίαν.
He thought it right, therefore, that those who risked the loss of greater prizes should undergo greater hardships, both in their persons and in their fortunes, that those who had less at stake should be less burdened in both respects, and that those who feared for nothing should undergo no hardships at all, being released from taxes because of their poverty, and from military service because they paid no taxes.
οὐ γὰρ ἐλάμβανον ἐκ τοῦ δημοσίου τότε Ῥωμαῖοι στρατιωτικοὺς μισθούς, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἰδίοις τέλεσιν ἐστρατεύοντο.
For at that time the Romans did not receive military pay from the public treasury, but served at their own expense.
§4.19.4οὔτε δὴ χρήματα συνεισφέρειν τοὺς οὐκ ἔχοντας, ὁπόθεν συνεισοίσουσιν, ἀλλὰ τῶν καθʼ ἡμέραν ἀναγκαίων ἀπορουμένους ᾤετο δεῖν, οὔτε μηδὲν συμβαλλομένους στρατεύεσθαί τινας ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ὀψωνιαζομένους χρημάτων, ὥσπερ μισθοφόρους.
For he did not think it right, on the one hand, that those who had no resources from which to contribute should contribute money, while they were in want of the daily necessities of life, nor, on the other hand, that any who contributed nothing should serve as soldiers, receiving their rations from other people's money like mercenaries.

Notes

  1. 683ὁπότε γὰρ αὐτῷ δεήσειε — The conjunction ὁπότε is followed by the optative mood (δεήσειε) to express an iterative or repeated action in past time ("whenever he had need").
  2. p.v.2p.35συνέβαινεν οὖν τοῖς τὰς μεγίστας ἔχουσιν οὐσίας ... στρατεύεσθαί τε ... καὶ ... εἰσφέρειν — The impersonal verb συνέβαινεν ("it happened that") takes a dative of reference/interest (τοῖς ... ἔχουσιν) functioning as the logical subject of the subsequent infinitives (στρατεύεσαι, εἰσφέρειν).
  3. 685οὔτε δὴ χρήματα συνεισφέρειν τοὺς οὐκ ἔχοντας ... ᾤετο δεῖν ... οὔτε ... στρατεύεσθαί τινας — The verb ᾤετο ("he thought") governs δεῖν ("it is necessary"), which in turn governs two accusative and infinitive constructions connected by οὔτε ... οὔτε ...: (1) τοὺς οὐκ ἔχοντας συνεισφέρειν and (2) στρατεύεσθαί τινας. The meaning is "he did not think it right that (1) should contribute... nor that (2) should serve...".
  4. 685ὁπόθεν συνεισοίσουσιν — The relative adverb ὁπόθεν ("whence / from what source") is followed by the future indicative (συνεισοίσουσιν) to form a relative clause of purpose or means ("from which they might contribute / have the means to contribute").

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §4.19.1-4.19.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.19.1-4.19.4

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