Tribut

The Roman conquest is a major fact of antiquity. However, the fiscal dimension of this history, although quite essential, has never given rise to a specific and in-depth study. This book, which is destined to become a reference work, does just that. How did the city of Rome use the fiscal weapon to mobilise military and financial capacities that were unparalleled at the time? Can we measure what the conquest brought in and what its cost was? Did the Romans simply carry out a large-scale plundering enterprise, or did they strive to build an empire in which fiscal consent had its place, in line with their civic experience? Finally, by what means did they succeed in reconciling the support of the subject populations with the maintenance of their fiscal rent? These are just some of the questions that Tribut answers.It is thus in a captivating investigation that the reader is led, going back over a number of preconceived ideas and leading to a new vision of the Roman Empire. This book is also of interest to all those who are interested in the analysis of the great regimes of domination across all historical periods.Jérôme France is professor of Roman history at the University of Bordeaux Montaigne. He recently published Finances publiques, intérêts privés dans le monde romain.