Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Preface
- List of abbreviations
- Map. The Hellenistic Near East
- Introduction
- Part I PRELIMINARIES
- Part II THE UNDERLYING ECONOMY
- Part III THE ROYAL ECONOMY
- Chapter 7 PS.-Aristotle's Oikonomika, Book 2
- Chapter 8 Revenue
- Chapter 9 The handling of surpluses
- Chapter 10 Expenditure
- Chapter 11 Coinage
- Chapter 12 A model of the Seleukid economy
- Chapter 13 Financial administration
- General conclusions
- Appendix I Coin hoards lists
- Appendix 2 Documents and translations
- References
- Index
Chapter 8 - Revenue
from Part III - THE ROYAL ECONOMY
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Preface
- List of abbreviations
- Map. The Hellenistic Near East
- Introduction
- Part I PRELIMINARIES
- Part II THE UNDERLYING ECONOMY
- Part III THE ROYAL ECONOMY
- Chapter 7 PS.-Aristotle's Oikonomika, Book 2
- Chapter 8 Revenue
- Chapter 9 The handling of surpluses
- Chapter 10 Expenditure
- Chapter 11 Coinage
- Chapter 12 A model of the Seleukid economy
- Chapter 13 Financial administration
- General conclusions
- Appendix I Coin hoards lists
- Appendix 2 Documents and translations
- References
- Index
Summary
In this chapter the regular sources of income of the Seleukid kings are identified and, wherever possible, the manner in which these were tapped, with the description of the satrapal economy in ps.-Aristotle's Oikonomika (ch. 7) serving as a useful guide. Following this, various cases of ad hoc revenue generation are discussed. The question of what form the revenue mainly took, whether in silver or commodities, is also addressed, but the assessment of the total level of revenue at different times is left to chapter 12.
REVENUE FROM LAND
Of these the first and most important [revenue] is that from land, which is what some call ekphorion and some dekatē.
In the overwhelmingly agricultural economies of the ancient Near East, taxation of land and its produce was a major source of revenue for ruling powers.
Two well-known inscriptions of the third century bc are the starting point when trying to determine the manner in which revenue was generated by the Seleukid administration from royal and tributary land and land grants. This is followed by a study of inscriptions relating to the taxation of city and temple land.
The Mnesimachos inscription (Document 5)
Mnesimachos listed the land grants he had received from Antigonos (Monophthalmos) and the annual tribute (phoros) assessed on each.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Seleukid Royal EconomyThe Finances and Financial Administration of the Seleukid Empire, pp. 137 - 180Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2004