Domitian (CE 81-96) Economy
(Southern 1997, p. 53):
Canceling debts to the treasury.
Refusing inheritances that would leave children without money.
Increasing expenditure.
Overhauling the mint (by ceasing bronze coin production and improving silver and gold varieties).
Lavish building programs.
Pay rise for the army.
After the year 85 a debasement of fine metals occurred, likely due to a crisis of some sort. Domitian refused to devalue coins further than they already had been, a step that would be taken by later emperors, which led to financial issues during his reign. (Southern 1997, p. 62). His large expenditures on extensive building programs and a massive pay-rise for the army left state finances strained even further. The managing of finances was a critical part of his reign, and he was willing to spend, spend, spend, whereas most other emperors were more conservative in their approach and tried to squeeze more money out of the population and spent less of it.
Domitian, unlike most all other emperors, had a very hands on approach to governmental matters. He micro-managed a lot of aspects that were usually just left to the devices of specific officials. He was big on rules and regulations and under his rule there was less corruption and embezzlement than usual. Nowhere was this direct influence more visible than his involvement in financial state matters. (Jones, 1992, p. 79). In doing so he stepped on a lot of toes and this approach to governing was generally hated by the social elite who felt their power and authority infringed on. It was part of this animosity that would lead to Domitian’s bad relations with the senate, eventually leading to his death, and ultimately to an undeserved damnatio memoriae through which he was vilified by his successor and the senatorial elite who had hated him. This was of course not the sole reason for this conclusion to his life, but certainly a contributing factor. As such it may explain in part why other emperors did not engage in such practices as often as you’d expect.
Southern 1997, Domitian: Tragic Tyrant
Jones, 1992, Domitian
Jones, A. H. M. “Inflation under the Roman Empire.” The Economic History Review, vol. 5, no. 3, [Economic History Society, Wiley], 1953, pp. 293–318, https://doi.org/10.2307/2591810.
Academic Articles
- The exhibition at the National Museum of Antiquities at Leiden God on Earth: Emperor Domitian (December 2021–May 2022) presented an overview of Domitian’s life in objects to demonstrate the significance and impact of his 15-year reign. The show focused on how he legitimized and shaped his rule, and it challenged the viewer to rethink the assessment of Domitian in ancient sources and his branding as one of the “bad” emperors. The Flavian dynasty, by forging a connection to Augustus, the most popular ruler before them, “anchored innovation” by linking new ideas to familiar ideas already established. The great achievement of the exhibition lay in the quality and scope of the 275 objects from more than 20 museums; the Flavian era emerged as equally artistically rich as that of the Julio-Claudians. Although the exhibition explicitly did not aim to recast Domitian as a “good” ruler but rather invited the viewer to consider all aspects of his image and reputation, at the same time it seemed to rehabilitate Domitian, presenting him as an important emperor in his own right and in a more positive light.
- https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/723402
Domitian Persecution of Christians
- This paper interprets the tradition of persecution of Christians by the emperor Domitian (reigned 81-96CE), as narrated and interpreted by fathers of the church including Melito of Sardis, Tertullian, Clement of Rome and Eusebius. This paper argues that the portrayal of Domitian in Christian sources relates to the integration of the church with Roman civil authorities. Study of this persecution reveals that members of the early church showed their willingness to obey civil authorities. Historians have long pointed out that Domitian provided an example of a ‘bad’ emperor which encouraged Christians’ obedience to emperors who did not persecute Christians. This paper takes this point further, suggesting that patristic sources not only distinguished between good and bad emperors, but made good emperors out of bad ones, insisting on conversions and patronage from the imperial court. Using distinctive features of the patristic records of the Domitianic persecution, including records of his victims, this paper reconstructs how patristic writers integrated church and state, locating Christians at the very centre of imperial power.
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/new-testament-studies/article/abs/clement-of-rome-and-the-persecution-of-domitian/29D1BF18A563F51D77E171A66EA98148
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