Diocletianus price edict.

[Klingan]

Does anyone know if this is possible to find at the web? I noticed that we don't have it in our ancient sources links list. If anyone know where to find it, I would greatly appreciate if it was posted. (All out of personal curiosity)

 

Thanks, Klingan.

[Nephele]

Some good information on Diocletian's price edict of 301 CE, setting a maximum price for goods and services, can be found at the SPQR Encyclopaedia Romana site, under the following articles: Venatores and Garum.

 

-- Nephele

[Gaius Octavius]

I know that this is going to be hard, but check here:

 

http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/gibbon/index.htm

 

I think that you will find in Gibbon that prices had risen so high for commodities as to be unaffordable to the vast majority of the Romans. This was to a great extent because the specie had been so debased in prior reigns. Interest rates in Rome, and more so in the provinces, had increased beyond the legal maximum of 12 1/2%. The price controls were an attempt on his part to prevent unrest. His price controls did no good. Both commodities and specie were hoarded. Commodities became scarce. Gibbon will do a better job than I can - at present.

[Klingan]

Yes I know the background and have a decent understanding of the effects (and the not to be effects). This was more meant as that it would be useful for the members of the forum if we had it. It would be so much easier to discuss Rome's late economy.

[ASCLEPIADES]

Yes I know the background and have a decent understanding of the effects (and the not to be effects). This was more meant as that it would be useful for the members of the forum if we had it. It would be so much easier to discuss Rome's late economy.

Salve, K.

 

From amazon.com, Diocletian and the Tetrarchy and The Edict of Diocletian.

 

From JSTOR, Graser, E.R. (1940), "A text and translation of the Edict of Diocletian", quoted at the review of An Economic Survey of Ancient Rome, Vol. V: Rome and Italy of the Empire by Tenney Frank .

 

The edict is textually transcribed at "The Roman World: A Sourcebook" By David Cherry, partially accessible at Google Books.

 

Anyway, it appears doubtful that it was ever completely enforced.

 

Valete.

Edited October 24, 2007 by ASCLEPIADES

[Andrew Dalby]

Yes I know the background and have a decent understanding of the effects (and the not to be effects). This was more meant as that it would be useful for the members of the forum if we had it. It would be so much easier to discuss Rome's late economy.

Salve, K.

 

From amazon.com, Diocletian and the Tetrarchy and The Edict of Diocletian.

 

From JSTOR, Graser, E.R. (1940), "A text and translation of the Edict of Diocletian", quoted at the review of An Economic Survey of Ancient Rome, Vol. V: Rome and Italy of the Empire by Tenney Frank .

 

The edict is textually transcribed at "The Roman World: A Sourcebook" By David Cherry, partially accessible at Google Books.

 

Anyway, it appears doubtful that it was ever completely enforced.

 

Valete.

The Google Books link is nice, but -- very cleverly -- the available extract stops just as Diocletian gets down to the interesting detail!

 

Let's remember what the exact purpose was: not to prescribe prices for everybody, but to lay down the highest prices that the army would pay. The army must have been by far the largest client for most of these goods. What's interesting, if you get a chance to look through the list, is to see what supplies the army needed (including, of course, what the commanders needed for their fancy dinners) and what kind of quantities these goods were normally measured and priced in.

 

It seems to be true that it never worked, or at least, not for long.

[Klingan]

I've always been taught that it was the maximum prices for everyone under deathpenatly. It didn't workout very well even so.

[Publius Cornelius Scipio]

Dicoletian's price controls were a complete failure, as have been every attempt to control prices and wages in human history (Nixon). It was a bandaid solution to a problem of inflation due to currency debasement.

[Gaius Octavius]

Dicoletian's price controls were a complete failure, as have been every attempt to control prices and wages in human history (Nixon). It was a bandaid solution to a problem of inflation due to currency debasement.

 

Absolutely wrong! Price controls always work for the controllers. That's why governments attempt to interfere with price controls by attempting to control prices.

Edited May 20, 2008 by Gaius Octavius

[Gaius Octavius]

I've always been taught that it was the maximum prices for everyone under deathpenatly. It didn't workout very well even so.

 

The question then is, how many death penalties were executed?

[Klingan]

I've always been taught that it was the maximum prices for everyone under deathpenatly. It didn't workout very well even so.

 

The question then is, how many death penalties were executed?

 

I cannot claim that I know of even a single one. However it's unlikely that we would have records of them from all over the empire.

 

There's only one thing sure. The priced continued to rise and people continued to accept that and adapt not minding any death penalty. Logically it cannot be too many then, people usually try to avoid death. As a result the empires economy were further and further pushed into an in nature economy.