WORK IN PROGRESS!!! VERIFYING NUMBERS!!! Wages and prices
When studying Ancient Rome, it is only natural to wonder what the price of everyday items might have been. It's a common question that people who start collecting coins ask; "How much is this coin worth then? What could I have bought with it? How much do things cost?" In order to fully understand the price of an item, you must also consider the wages workers received to purchase any items with.
Before you study the information below, it is helpful to understand that professions were valued differently in ancient times than they are today. For instance, in today's world, one might spend 20% of their total income on food, but in ancient times the cost may have been 50% or more of one's total income. In fact, during parts of the history of Rome, food costs were so high that without free wheat subsidies from the government, the common people would not have been able to survive!
The Importance of Bread
When historians try to figure out the purchasing power of Roman money, they often looked at the price of bread, as bread was a basic necessity then as food and grain is now. To counter hunger, Roman officials calculated that a man would need four loaves of bread a day to survive and be healthy enough to work and live. The price of bread rarely fluctuated, and the change in cost over time is a very good way to see the growth of inflation. By comparing the costs of wheat and bread in Rome, and our cost of bread today, we can guess an "exchange rate" for Roman money.
We first look at a unit called a modius. Four modii of wheat could feed a slave for a month, assuming he only ate bread. That would be 48 modii a year. Soldiers, who were given meats, vegetables, and a more balanced diet overall to keep them healthy made do with only 30 modii of wheat per year. Then we look at the cost of actual loaves of bread. At one point, a Roman sestertius equaled about $1.50 or 1£ British. This was in the early days of the Empire and it later changed. Other scholars find a practical rate of a sestertius equaling about $5 based on how much denarii goods cost throughout the Empire.
A single loaf of bread would cost about 1/2 a sestertius. Using the 1 sestertius = $5 method, that'd make a loaf about $2.50.So, at one point, our costs seem incredibly similar to theirs. The question is then, would you make enough to pay for that bread?
Clothing was another expensive proposition. One‘libra'(Roman pound, just under of a modern pound, 326 grams), of fine silk cost more than a dozen human beings. It seems absurd to us today, but such was the case, because ancient Romans lacked the production machines of today that make cheap fabric possible. For the commoners, fashion was not a consideration.
Consider what you might have been in ancient Rome. Would you have been a carpenter? A mason? Would you have been fortunate enough to receive an education and become an advocate (ancient equivalent of the modern lawyer)? Pick your profession, and then take a look at the kind of food and clothing you would have been able to afford. Could you afford enough to buy 30-50 modii of wheat a year?
Towards the end of the 3rd century AD, rising inflation leads the emperor Diocletian to fix prices and wages – though not before the currency has been devalued. By this time, a loaf of bread cost far more than Here are some examples of the amounts that were fixed for particular jobs and products:Wages
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Barber, per haircut (man) - 2 | ||||||
Bath attendant, per person - 2 | ||||||
| Scribe, per 100 lines - 20 | ||||||
| Farm labourer (with meals) - 25 | ||||||
| Camel or donkey driver - 25 | ||||||
| Sewer cleaner - 25 | ||||||
| Baker - 50 Carpenter- 50 | ||||||
| Elementary Teacher, per pupil per month - 50 (but Teachers also received room and board and clothes in homes they tutored) | ||||||
| Advanced Teacher (arithmetic, or rhetoric, oratory) per pupil per month - 75-160 Wall painter (with meals) - 75 | ||||||
Picture painter (artist) (with meals) - 160 Advocate (lawyer) (to open a case) - 250 Advocate (to plead a case) - 1000 | ||||||
What's that all mean today? And wait... what about soldiers? How much did they make? | ||||||
Soldiers are a little special... Soldiers' Pay in Ancient Rome Soldiering was one of the bestways a Roman male could provide for his family. The base wage was low,not enough to live on, but, four times a year, a soldier received a"donative," or gift, greater than his annual base pay.Additionally, soldiers received an annual "annona" subsidy for grainpurchases. The best soldiers hoped to be recruited to the PraetorianGuard, the soldiers who guarded the emperor. These soldiers were paidroughly 3 times the base wage of the average soldier, and likely enjoyed manyadditional privileges as well. This is similar to how the modern day U.S. military grants it's soldiers, airmen, marines, and sailors a housing allowance if they choose to live off their base, a food allowance, tax-free shopping and groceries, and benefits like full medical care and travel home when on leave. Soldiers had high expenses intheir profession, but they still came out much better than the average citizeneven after expenses. The soldiers were expected to pay for much of theirown equipment, rations, and clothing. They even had to pay part of thecost of burial for their fallen from their unit. Soldiers'Pay in denarii: Average Romansoldier,annually- 1800 Praetorian Guard,annually - 5500 annual grain annona (1 per year) - worth 600 donative (4 per year) - 2500 Additionally, every soldier received a grain allotment of 30 modii ofwheat per year that would be worth - 3000 Total Annual Pay for an averageRoman Soldier - 15,400 For a Praetorian Guard-19,100 Think that's a good wage? Remember that wage includes food. An average soldier would only have access to 11,800 denarii a year. Now look at what a soldier's costs would be: Soldiers' Costs: boots, withouthobnails - 100 denarii shoes,soldiers - 75 saddle - 500 shining and sharpening a sword- 25 a month repair on a helmet - 25 a month shining and sharpening a swordaxe - 6 a month shining and sharpening a sworddoubleaxe - 8 a month swordscabbard - 100 But I'm not a soldier! What about everyday goods? How much is my bread!?! First, let's look at the very important modius of wheat. Using the soldier's allotment, we can see that a modius of wheat costs about 100 denarii. If you were poor and only living off of grains, you would need 400 denarii a month to survive. If you had a more balanced diet, it would cost more. What could you afford? Prices, in denarii | ||||||
| 1 egg - 1 | ||||||
| 5 lettuces - 4 | ||||||
| 4lb of dessert grapes - 4 | ||||||
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| 1 sectarius (about half a litre) of ordinary wine - 8 1 sectarius of beer - 4 | ||||||
| 1lb of beef - 8 | ||||||
| 1lb of freshwater fish - 8 | ||||||
| 1 Roman lb (about 235 g) of pork - 12 | ||||||
| 1lb of seafish - 34 | ||||||
1 pheasant - 250 | ||||||
| 1 chicken - 30 | ||||||
| 1 sectarius of good quality olive oil - 40 | ||||||
| 0.5 litre of best quality honey - 40 | ||||||
| 1 armymodiusof wheat - 100 | ||||||
| 1 army measure of meat - 100 | ||||||
| 1 army measure of beans - 100
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| Pair of farm labourer's boots - 120 | ||||||
| 1lb pure white silk 12,000 | ||||||
| 1 male slave - 30,000 | ||||||
| 1lb genuine emperor's purple silk - 150,000 | ||||||
| 1 racehorse - 100,000 |
Taxes
Various taxes apply throughout the empire. Inheritance taxes can be particularly steep. One of the reasons why later emperors extend citizenship rights throughout the empire is so that those who receive them become liable for inheritance tax. As well as various duties on different goods, Augustus also introduces a 1% sales tax.
Example Budgets:
I'm an elementary teacher with 5 students. Unfortunately, I don't make much money! Fortunately, I have a room and good food provided by me by one of the parents of the students, so I don't have to worry about that. I want to buy a new outfit.
I'm a Roman soldier. I have a wife and kid back in Rome. I know I'll need to spend at least enough to buy 4 modii of wheat for both of them per month- since my son is still young, that should be enough to buy meat and fruit and vegetables for them. Fortunately, I don't have to provide food for myself, but I need to maintain my gear. My helmet and sword get banged up in campaign, and I try to buy a new set of boots each year. How much money can I send home to my wife?
(Answers, Soldier)
Take home pay for a young soldier: 11,800 denarii
Food for wife and kid: 9,600 denarii
Care for sword and helmet: 600 denarii
New boots: 100 denarii
Remaining pay: 1500 denarii!
