Financing the State
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• Many problems of state and consequent social difficulties lay in needed for tax revenue and problems in its collection.  Some scholars believe in extra taxation which aided decline and extortion. 
• Finlay model that urban areas no centres for industrial production – markets and profit underdeveloped.  Hopkins and indeed Finlay now place more emphasis on increased monetarization and level of trade.  2^nd century- low level of economic growth.  Higher level of prosperity in the Eats and more long-term exchange.
• General assumptions about ancient economy, no reason to doubt not applied to later empire
1. Roman Empire – wealth largely form the and, state revenues and army consisted of the majority of the budget.  Other expenditure extremely limited.
2. Extent of monetarization low – and coinage for political or military value not economic or commercial.

• Hopkins argues for increased economic growth – factors, were they present in later Roman Empire?

1.      Increased amount of land under cultivation

2.      Greater population size – more division of labour and consequent growth in non-agricultural production, higher productivity per capita – attributed to peacetime more workers as less involved in wars

3.      government exaction and government expenditure acted as stimulus to economic growth

• These approximations from –200 to 200 – in the later period in the West less land as settlement and war – less taxes available – population may actually have dropped – also displaced by settlers.  West saw war in this period and fragmentation of territory, obvious consequence of damage to land and urban centres. Cost of manpower etc.
• Clear from Hopkin that West may have suffered economic decline – even before Barbarian settlement.  Natural facto and disruption of land-based empire may have caused a reduction in raw materials.  Positioning of army in towns as opposed to frontiers would have lessened spread of coinage and payment in kind operated with estate-to-estate trading.
• Not doubt a large army post-Diocletian, but Joes’ idle mouths exaggerating and Dicoletian probably reinforce status quo as opposed to huge expansion.
• Huge cost of the army may not be the reason.  Reason that it had huge borders to protect.  Eastern empire had better strategy – pay Arabian allies to defend it, presence of army acted as an economic stimulus adding roads and infrastructure as well systems of transport and local support.
• Regional variations in late antique economy as well as intervention of external factors.  Difficult to compute cost of the army. Taxes still fell mainly on agricultural production – government had little recourse in response to loss of land and shortage of manpower – apart from repeated legislation to keep coloni to land.
• Tax collector – hated and very dangerous figure i.e. not paying taxes.
• Regressive taxation and almost entirely land based – did not tap trade or senatorial income.  Sign of privilege was tax exemption.  Eastern Empire seemed more successful in collecting taxes.
• Inequitable and disorganised mess – especially anonna tax in kind for military – distribution problem, getting it a problem and calculating what had to be given was inaccurate.
• Grain requisitioning from Africa and Egypt to capitals problematic – who got grain w  sa corruption and when those lands taken there were problems.
• By 6^th century payment in gold was the norm – pounds or solidi the norm.  Inflation always and at some points little difference between solidi and copper-metal coinage.  491-518 more successful in introducing stability.  Collection of taxes in kind and fluctuation in value against solidi cannot but have depressed the market.
• Monetary policy of the Romans also poor – East did better an economy continued to function – were they in West?  Revenues maintained in East.  Yes local difficulties, famine, pestilence etc but all normal things and could be contained – whereas eternal factors, settlement and demographic change a different matter all together.

Other Notes in this Category

1. Economy and Administration of Early Byzantine Cities
2. Financing the State
3. Interpreting Urban Change
4. Introduction and Overview
5. Nature of Late Antiques Towns
6. Settlement and Population Change
7. The Changing City
8. The Classes of Late Antique Society
9. The eastern Mediterranean – settlement and change
10. The Organistion of Labour
11. The ‘Decline of Cities’ and the end of classical antiquity
12. Trade and Traders - Economics Conclusions
13. Urban change and the end of antiquity
14. Urban Violence

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