Florus said that Britain was valueless to the Empire, but that in possessing Britain, Rome was able to show the extent of her power and munificence.’’* Since the Romans had no concept of an ‘economy’ and its management, at least in any sense that we would understand it, we have a real problem in assessing how Roman Britain’s finances were controlled.
Taxes and tribute were levied to impose punishments and maintain imperial administration and the army, and also by individual communities and cities to fund local administration and projects. Dio attributes to Boudica’s pre-battle rallying speech a poll tax grievance.-” Tacitus says that the Britons were prepared to tolerate paying tribute so long as there were no abuses.-' The poll tax was levied to pay for the Roman administration and garrison of a province on the basis that the Romans were there to protect it and its inhabitants.” Other taxes included a five per cent inheritance tax on estates. Agricola had to reform abuse of the tribute and grain-taxation system. The Britons were theoretically paying their tribute in grain, which was stored in state granaries.- The system had been abused by forcing the Britons to travel long distances to locked granaries, where they had to purchase grain with which to pay their taxes. Of course, the grain stayed where it was.
84. Bath (Somerset).
Altar recording the restoration of a locum religiosum by the centurion Gaius Severius Emeritus after it had been vandalized. Severius Emeritus was one of numerous centurions routinely seconded to administrative duties around Britain.
World History
