Analyse the ways in which a Roman governor could affect
the lives of people in the provinces (12m)
Factors;
-Taxation
-Usage of trials & Dispensing Justice/Difficult to remove
from office
-Defending Province
Taxation
K
-Each province had its own system for collecting of taxes, each governors task to gain tax
was varied in difficulty due to the complexity of collecting taxes.
-As such taxation was a key role and a great benefit for governors.
-All provinces were required to pay a Stipendum or fixed tax, every year usually as money
could be as services.
There were a huge variety of other taxes levied in each province depending on local
situations, these could include import/export tax, tax on local produce, tax on wealth and
religious ceremonies and more. . .
-Most provinces because of the lack of man power sub contracted out tax collection to private
citizens who were called the publicani who would collect taxes for the governor.
-These men were hated by the populace as they were often corrupt but also seen as
collaborator with a foreign power.
-This corruption was continuous as the publicani were given fixed 5 year contracts by the
Censors in Republic times to generate a certain amount of income, after this anything the
publicani collected was theirs to keep.
A
In analysis, the impact of this was that wide scale and abuse and corruption thrived, and many
used excessive taxation which led to farmers losing their land by famine and losing excessive
money that would go into the governors pockets to enrich them.
Example
-The corruption of governors with the usage of taxation can be proved in provinces such as
Asia where Mithridates, King of Pontus was able to capitalise on anti Roman feelings to kill
the greedy Governor Aquillius by melting down gold collected as tax and pouring it down his
throat.
Conclusion & Evaluation
Clearly Roman provincial governors tended to be greedy and corrupt in their taxation which
led to massive famines and a great increase of poverty amongst farmers.
However we must note Cicero’s governorship in which he was wise with spending making
him highly popular amongst the nation as the demand in taxation wasn’t as high as it was
before.
LOA/Judgement
the lives of people in the provinces (12m)
Factors;
-Taxation
-Usage of trials & Dispensing Justice/Difficult to remove
from office
-Defending Province
Taxation
K
-Each province had its own system for collecting of taxes, each governors task to gain tax
was varied in difficulty due to the complexity of collecting taxes.
-As such taxation was a key role and a great benefit for governors.
-All provinces were required to pay a Stipendum or fixed tax, every year usually as money
could be as services.
There were a huge variety of other taxes levied in each province depending on local
situations, these could include import/export tax, tax on local produce, tax on wealth and
religious ceremonies and more. . .
-Most provinces because of the lack of man power sub contracted out tax collection to private
citizens who were called the publicani who would collect taxes for the governor.
-These men were hated by the populace as they were often corrupt but also seen as
collaborator with a foreign power.
-This corruption was continuous as the publicani were given fixed 5 year contracts by the
Censors in Republic times to generate a certain amount of income, after this anything the
publicani collected was theirs to keep.
A
In analysis, the impact of this was that wide scale and abuse and corruption thrived, and many
used excessive taxation which led to farmers losing their land by famine and losing excessive
money that would go into the governors pockets to enrich them.
Example
-The corruption of governors with the usage of taxation can be proved in provinces such as
Asia where Mithridates, King of Pontus was able to capitalise on anti Roman feelings to kill
the greedy Governor Aquillius by melting down gold collected as tax and pouring it down his
throat.
Conclusion & Evaluation
Clearly Roman provincial governors tended to be greedy and corrupt in their taxation which
led to massive famines and a great increase of poverty amongst farmers.
However we must note Cicero’s governorship in which he was wise with spending making
him highly popular amongst the nation as the demand in taxation wasn’t as high as it was
before.
LOA/Judgement
