How well would you be doing back in Ancient Rome?

Slacker16
Slacker16 Posts: 1,184 Member
in Chit-Chat
In 301 A.D., the emperor Diocletian tried (unsuccessfully) to stop an economic crisis by fixing prices and wages throughout the empire. The edict was an abject failure but it allows us to see what kind of income and expenses the Romans had (it was based on pre-crisis prices).

Here's a part of it with some added eplanations:

http://www.forumancientcoins.com/NumisWiki/view.asp?key=Edict of Diocletian Edict on Prices

A sextarius was a bit over half a litre, a modius a bit over 8 litres (16 sextarii) and the Roman pound was about a quarter of a kilo. Not sure but I think a room in an insula was between 1000 and 7000 denarii communii (not the same as denarii) a year.

I could teach arithmetic for 75 dn/month/kid or geometry for 200 dn/month/kid.

If I spent 110 dn on rent, 200 on wheat and 90 on salted fish it means I could survive with only two older pupils and the extra would go on oil, booze (dat dere cheap Egyptian beer) and miscellaneous.

So how would you doing?

Replies

  • Slacker16
    Slacker16 Posts: 1,184 Member
    Sorry for the bump, but if anyone doesn't feel like following the link, here's the prices and wages they list:


    Wheat 1 army modius 100
    Barley 1 army modius 60
    Rye 1 army modius 60
    Millet, ground 1 army modius 100
    Millet, whole 1 army modius 50
    Panic grass 1 army modius 50
    Spelt, hulled 1 army modius 100
    . . . . . . . .
    Beans, crushed 1 army modius 100
    Beans, not ground 1 army modius 60
    Lentils 1 army modius 100
    Pulse 1 army modius 80
    Peas, split 1 army modius 100
    Peas, not split 1 army modius 60
    . . . . . . . .
    Rice, cleaned 1 army modius 200
    Barley grits, cleaned 1 modius 100
    Spelt grits, cleaned 1 modius 200
    Sesame 1 army modius 200
    . . . . . . . .
    II. Likewise, for wines:
    Picene 1 Italian sextarius 30
    Tiburtine 1 Italian sextarius 30
    Sabine 1 Italian sextarius 30
    . . . . . . . .
    Falernian 1 Italian sextarius 30
    Aged wine, first quality 1 Italian sextarius 24
    Aged wine, second quality 1 Italian sextarius 16
    Ordinary 1 Italian sextarius 8
    Beer, Gallic or Pannonian 1 Italian sextarius 4
    Beer, Egyptian 1 Italian sextarius 2
    . . . . . . . .
    III. Likewise, for oil:
    From unripe olives 1 Italian sextarius 40
    Second quality 1 Italian sextarius 24
    Salt 1 army modius 100
    Spiced salt 1 Italian sextarius 8
    Honey, best quality 1 Italian sextarius 40
    Honey, second quality 1 Italian sextarius 24
    . . . . . . . .
    IV. Likewise, for meat:
    Pork 1 Italian pound 12
    Beef 1 Italian pound 8
    . . . . . . . .
    Leg of pork, Menapic or
    Cerritane, best 1 Italian pound 20
    Pork mincemeat 1 ounce 2
    Beef mincemeat 1 Italian pound 10
    Pheasant, fattened 250
    Pheasant, wild 125
    . . . . . . . .
    Chickens 1 brace 60
    . . . . . . . .
    Venison 1 Italian pound 12
    . . . . . . . .
    Butter 1 Italian pound 16
    . . . . . . . .
    V. Likewise, for fish:
    Sea fish with rough scales 1 Italian pound 24
    Fish, second quality 1 Italian pound 16
    River fish, best quality 1 Italian pound 12
    River fish, second quality 1 Italian pound 8
    Salt fish 1 Italian pound 6
    Oysters 100 100
    . . . . . . . .
    VII. For wages:
    Farm laborer, with maintenance (daily) 25
    . . . . . . . .
    Carpenter, as above (daily) 50
    . . . . . . . .
    Wall painter, as above (daily) 75
    Picture painter, as above (daily) 150
    . . . . . . . .
    Baker, as above (daily) 50
    Shipwright working on a seagoing ship, as above (daily) 60
    Shipwright working on a river boat, as above (daily) 50
    . . . . . . . .
    Muleteer, with maintenance (daily) 25
    Veterinary, for clipping and preparing hoofs (per animal) 6
    Veterinary, for bleeding and cleaning the head (per animal) 20
    Barber (per man) 2
    . . . . . . . .
    Sewer cleaner, working a full day, with maintenance (daily) 25
    . . . . . . . .
    Scribe, for the best writing (per 100 lines) 25
    Scribe, for second-quality writing (per 100 lines) 20
    Notary, for writing a petition or legal document (per 100 lines) 10
    . . . . . . . .
    Elementary teacher per boy (monthly) 50
    Teacher of arithmetic, per boy (monthly) 75
    Teacher of shorthand, per boy (monthly) 75
    . . . . . . . .
    Teacher of Greek or Latin language
    and literature, and teacher of geometry, per pupil (monthly) 200
    Teacher of rhetoric or public speaking, per pupil (monthly) 250
    Advocate or jurist, fee for a complaint 250
    Advocate or jurist, fee for pleading 1000
    Teacher of architecture, per boy (monthly) 100
    Check room attendant, per bather 2
  • Monster008
    Monster008 Posts: 884
    I can't believe someone actually took the time to write this up.

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