03-04-2005, 07:44 AM
The Lambaesis inscriptions (on which our understanding of collegia is largely based) are very controversial and not at all clear, unfortunately. Ginsburg reads them as a form of professional insurance, but there are three main problems with this<br>
<br>
-the purpose of the sum to be paid out to members leaving the collegium is nowhere specified<br>
<br>
-the sums to be disbursed differ, depending on the circumstances of his leavinmg, and the payout to a widow IIRC is the lowest, certainly lower than in other cases<br>
<br>
- in every case, departing collegae get less than they paid in. Given that we know Roman soldiers lent money to each other and third parties at interest and that money in the bank was part of the peculium castrense that went to their heirs, this sounds like a bad investment.<br>
<br>
I suspect this has more to do with status and display, same as some people writing on their gravestones what their funerals cost. The sums in question were quite considerable, even for the early 3rd cetury. <p></p><i></i>
<br>
-the purpose of the sum to be paid out to members leaving the collegium is nowhere specified<br>
<br>
-the sums to be disbursed differ, depending on the circumstances of his leavinmg, and the payout to a widow IIRC is the lowest, certainly lower than in other cases<br>
<br>
- in every case, departing collegae get less than they paid in. Given that we know Roman soldiers lent money to each other and third parties at interest and that money in the bank was part of the peculium castrense that went to their heirs, this sounds like a bad investment.<br>
<br>
I suspect this has more to do with status and display, same as some people writing on their gravestones what their funerals cost. The sums in question were quite considerable, even for the early 3rd cetury. <p></p><i></i>
Der Kessel ist voll Bärks!
Volker Bach
Volker Bach
