Roman soldiers’ spending practices and economic strategies in the Late Republic

In the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, Roman military campaigns involved significant public expenditures, which were reflected to some extent in the fluctuations in the quantity of coins issued by the Roman mint. Similarly, wartime financial logistics involved transporting large stocks of coins from Italy and the provinces to theatres of operation. However, archaeological evidence relating to these financial activities is often limited or ambiguous. For example, coin finds provide little information about the years of Caesar’s Gallic campaigns in the 50s BC, yet the later stages of the Roman conquest and pacification of Inner Gaul in the 40s-30s BC are far better known, despite requiring much smaller resources and contingents. This presentation aims to address this documentary bias by examining Roman soldiers’ post-bellum economic strategies, focusing on the practicalities of spending or saving their pay and booty. More specific topics include the identity of the soldiers’ preferred economic partners, whether local or Italian; the terms of trade between Roman and non-Roman currencies in provincial markets; and how soldiers in campaign, a mobile population per se, could meaningfully save cash.