Veränderung der Beschaffenheit der „annona militaris“ in der späten Kaiserzeit
The Meaning Changes of the Annona Militaris in the Later Roman Empire

Summary/Abstract: During the period of the late Roman Empire in addition to transforming the government structure of the empire, Diocletian`s (284-305) reforms changed the foundations and methods of administration and finance significally. The constitution of the so-called annona-system is to be highlighted with an outstanding importance among the substantial changes. In this system a particular provincial unit supplied and remunerated directly the officials as well as the army stationed at its territory. During the reorganization, associated with the new system, the annona militaris tax became the main tax of the provincial population. During the Severan era, this type of taxation meant the compulsory delivery of agricultural crops and it was imposed on the population in extraordinary cases. This unofficial tax in-kind assured the maintenance and nutrition of the army. The ad hoc obligation and occasional practice of the compulsory delivery was formalized and organized systematically by Diocletian, his reforms developed it into an imperial-wide administration and funding system. As an important element of the changes in connection with the reforms, the annona (i.e. a payment in kind issued within the scope of military supplies) became the primary funding source for the army and the administration instead of the stipendium (regular military pay in cash). It should be pointed out, that during the 2nd and 3rd centuries the annona militaris had not served the logistic needs of the garrison troops stationed in the territories inhabited by the tax payer population yet, but the provision and maintenance of the field armies that had left their military bases for taking part in military operations. The annona militaris, by its nature still fulfilled the function of the general military supplies. The mobile field forces mobilized for the duration of campaigns continued to receive in addition to the kind benefits also the military supplies i.e. expeditionalis annona. Due to the nature of the new type of service pay, the payment of the annona was occasionally hampered. There was a possibility of converting in-kind benefits into cash payment (replacing the annonaria species with its cash-equivalent value), especially in case of shortage of goods, spoilage of the produce or even in case of delays in receiving in-kind benefits. Converting in-kind benefits into cash (adaeratio annonae) was possible only in special cases justified by exceptional, i.e. other than administrative organizational conditions. Executing it generally and systematically was prohibited. It’s scientifically known that the disfunctions caused by the conversion of the annona into cash benefits could only be solved by the generalization and institutionalization of cash payments. Due to the economic differences between the western and the eastern part of the empire and the fall of the Western Roman Empire, there was a possibility of transforming the annona into cash payment primarily in the Eastern Roman Empi

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