How Much Money Did The Ancient Roman Republic actually have ?

[SiamWarrior]

I was just wondering, if anyone is in the know on this issue please let me know.


I was just wondering how much the banks of Rome in 270 BC held each year compared to the present day ? :hmmm:

Did their goverment bank account run into the millions or was it a much lower scale of money ? :hmmm:

Thanks SiamW

[ben331]

Well I think it is unknown what the value of the sestertii/denarii is in Euros or US Dollars. So it's difficult to tell.

[Quink.NL]

I recently read a book on the Roman Empire, which contained the annual spending/income stats. In ran into the hundreds of millions in Dutch guilders. Total Imperial budget was something like fl. 300.000.000,- if I remember correctly. The book was from the seventies, so with a correction I guess it would be something like €300.000.000,-, which is a $400,000,000.

That was an insane amount of money back then. I figure it compares to something like $400 billion nowadays, but I'm not an economist.

[SiamWarrior]

I recently read a book on the Roman Empire, which contained the annual spending/income stats. In ran into the hundreds of millions in Dutch guilders. Total Imperial budget was something like fl. 300.000.000,- if I remember correctly. The book was from the seventies, so with a correction I guess it would be something like €300.000.000,-, which is a $400,000,000.

That was an insane amount of money back then. I figure it compares to something like $400 billion nowadays, but I'm not an economist.

Wish they could enter those amounts into the Rome game from the start, what an army you could build with that kind of wonga !

[SiamWarrior]

I recently read a book on the Roman Empire, which contained the annual spending/income stats. In ran into the hundreds of millions in Dutch guilders. Total Imperial budget was something like fl. 300.000.000,- if I remember correctly. The book was from the seventies, so with a correction I guess it would be something like €300.000.000,-, which is a $400,000,000.

That was an insane amount of money back then. I figure it compares to something like $400 billion nowadays, but I'm not an economist.

Mmmm :hmmm:

So could this mean that early Rome would have been about a quarter of the £300.000.000 that Pax Romana had, so we could estimate that they can start the game in 270 BC with let's say 50 Million Pounds, 50.000.000 :hmmm:

[Lord Thesaurian]

I recently read a book on the Roman Empire, which contained the annual spending/income stats. In ran into the hundreds of millions in Dutch guilders. Total Imperial budget was something like fl. 300.000.000,- if I remember correctly. The book was from the seventies, so with a correction I guess it would be something like €300.000.000,-, which is a $400,000,000.

That was an insane amount of money back then. I figure it compares to something like $400 billion nowadays, but I'm not an economist.

yeah, i dunno exactly how rich rome was back in her hayday, but i know she was filthy rich. i mean, jeez, in the 1st punic war carthage destroyed most of rome's navy more than once. but rome was so rich she simply outlasted carthage in a war of attrition. thats why i think that after a gaining a certain amount of collective territory on RTW, all roman factions should bcome filthy rich

[jehanzeb]

That sounds like America budget these days

Regards

[Selifator]

This is a rather vague question. Which time period do you mean? It will differ a lot through the centuries. When Rome was merely a city-state, it would have been less than after the Punic Wars, when Rome controlled the entire Meditteranean. When Rome was at it's height, as the Roman Empire, she controlled vast territories ranging from Britannia to Africa to Greece. When Rome declined, the economy failed and the treasury was empty to the point where Rome couldn't pay it's armies anymore.

I do not know any exact figures, but the amounts differ enormously.

[Quink.NL]

This is a rather vague question. Which time period do you mean? It will differ a lot through the centuries. When Rome was merely a city-state, it would have been less than after the Punic Wars, when Rome controlled the entire Meditteranean. When Rome was at it's height, as the Roman Empire, she controlled vast territories ranging from Britannia to Africa to Greece. When Rome declined, the economy failed and the treasury was empty to the point where Rome couldn't pay it's armies anymore.

I do not know any exact figures, but the amounts differ enormously.

I agree. My post features numbers which are an estimation of Rome's budget during the Pax Romana.

[SiamWarrior]

This is a rather vague question. Which time period do you mean? It will differ a lot through the centuries. When Rome was merely a city-state, it would have been less than after the Punic Wars, when Rome controlled the entire Meditteranean. When Rome was at it's height, as the Roman Empire, she controlled vast territories ranging from Britannia to Africa to Greece. When Rome declined, the economy failed and the treasury was empty to the point where Rome couldn't pay it's armies anymore.

I do not know any exact figures, but the amounts differ enormously.

I was referring to around 270 BC onwards

[SiamWarrior]

I was wondering if the Rome Total War game is realistic in economic terms by having 50000 as the starting denari or should this be a higher figure at the start of the game ?

It would be great news if the actual figure was way above the one set for the game

[Selifator]

I think that 5000 denarii isn't correct. Somehow for an entire peninsula, with multiple armies, fleets, buildings. That seems to be too little. Hmm, I might try to scurry up some info.

[SiamWarrior]

I think that 5000 denarii isn't correct. Somehow for an entire peninsula, with multiple armies, fleets, buildings. That seems to be too little. Hmm, I might try to scurry up some info.

Yeh your right it's 5000, I made a small mistake quoting it as 50000 starting denari.

Thanks for correcting that one, it would be great if you could find any info.

I'm looking through the internet but can't find much if any ideas on how much would be historically accurate. What makes it really confusing is that Silver was devalued in Roman times and used as general everyday coinage.

[Doctor]

Perhaps one could make estimates on the total budget of the Republic from the fortunes of various statesman of the period such as Crassus, Cicero, etc. Then compare their funds to the demands of an empire as a sort of scaled down figure. However that is a very open ended way of dealing with the question and will without a doubt create a vagur answer.

[Scutarii]

In RTW, everything is scaled down. Money, army size, population size, etc. And very little is historically accurate.

[OccamR]

Remember, there are three families, and you can't start as the SPQR. So that's just the starting total of the families (I'd assume).

[aznflea]

an individual family wouldnt usually have enough money to raise an army and go on conquests. furthermore you needed the senates approval

[SiamWarrior]

an individual family wouldnt usually have enough money to raise an army and go on conquests. furthermore you needed the senates approval

Yeh your right about that,

Even Total War Realism can't show the true Roman world to the reality of it all, but it's a good mod for unit realism at least.

Maybe one day someone will find a way to fit it all in, you can always try my mods they go part of the way to making it more realistic in economic terms, they are a work in progress so an ideas are most welcome.

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/downl...o=file&id=2254


http://www.twcenter.net/forums/downl...o=file&id=2255

[IYI4sT3r 0f PuPp3t5]

They must have a way to.. beacuse on wikipedia and the history channel they say that Crassus would be the wealthiest man in the world still today.

[Sextus Molestus]

They must have a way to.. beacuse on wikipedia and the history channel they say that Crassus would be the wealthiest man in the world still today.

Yeah all that molten gold poured down his throat would be worth quite a lot...