handling of public finance

Question 1

public entertainment

Answer 1

cut down the expenses of public entertainment
- lowered the pay of actors
set a limit to the number of gladiatorial combats

Question 2

Lowered prices

Answer 2

(After an absurd rise in the cost of some household objects and some fish) Proposed a ceiling on the prices of household furnishings

Question 3

waste

Answer 3

Campaign against waste. Served half-eaten dishes left from the day before at formal dinner parties. Or only one side of a wild boar.

Question 4

did he spend lots of money

Answer 4

Closed fisted to the point of miserliness

Never payed his staff salary on foreign missions, merely providing their keep.

Question 5

public works

Answer 5

Responsible for no magnificent public works.

Question 6

public works left uncompleed

Answer 6

rection of Augustus’ Temple,

Restoration of Pompey’s theatre,

Question 7

public shows

Answer 7

gave none at all

hardly ever attended those of others (not in public eye, not popular) -because he didn’t want to be asked for anything

Question 8

Money for Senators in need

Answer 8

Relieved the financial distress of a few senators, but avoided repeating this action by:
announcing that imperial assistance would be restricted to people who could prove, to the senate, that they were not responsible for their financial embarrassment.
Shame + pride thus prevented many impoverished senators from making an application
(One of these was Hortalus, grandson of Quintus Hortensius)

Question 9

large scale generosity

Answer 9

no more than twice

Question 10

his decree to relieve economic crisis

Answer 10

Public loan of 100,000,000 sesterces, free of interest, for three years, because his decree to relieve the acute economic crisis had failed.

Question 11

some houses destroyed by fire

Answer 11

Paid for the rebuilding of some blocks of houses which had been destroyed by fire. An emergency measure yet made such a parade of his generosity he renamed the whole hill the “Augustan”

Question 12

money to the army

Answer 12

DOUBLED THE LEGACIES BEQUEATHED BY AUGUTUS TO THE ARMY, afterwards he never gave them anything but their pay.

Question 13

to the praetorians who did not align themselves with Sejanus

Answer 13

the only army he payed: 1,000 denarii a head for each praetorian who did not align themselves with Sejanus.

Question 14

gifts to Syria

Answer 14

And gifts to the legions in Syria for being the only ones not to have consecrated statues of Sejanus among their regimental standards

Question 15

veterans

Answer 15

Granted few veterans their discharge, declared he would be spared the expense of their discharge bounty if they died serving

Question 16

money to province

Answer 16

The only free money grant a province received was when an earthquake destroyed some cities in Asia

Question 17

Legacy hunter

Answer 17

forced the very wealthy Gnaeus Augur to name him as sole heir and then commit suicide.

Question 18

Suetonius suggests this is the reason for killing Aemilia Lepida (important)

Answer 18

Gratified the very rich and childless Quirinius by executing Aemilia Lepida.

Question 19

confiscated property

Answer 19

Confiscated the property of leading provincials on trivial and absurd charges (eg keeping to much of their cash in ready cash)

Question 20

betrayed a king for money

Answer 20

Vonones king of Parthia, had been dethroned by his subjects, thought he was confiding himself to Roman protection escaped with a huge treasure. Tiberius treacherously robbed and killed him