82:
298:, working from Sherard's copy of the Stratonikeia inscription and a fragment purchased in Alexandria and subsequently brought to Aix-en-Provence. A comprehensive edition of all fragments known by the end of the 19th century was edited by Theodor Mommsen with commentary by Hugo Blümner; this edition formed the basis for a new text and English translation published in 1940 by Elsa Graser, who also incorporated fragments found after the publication of Mommsen's edition. Two further critical editions were published in the early 1970s, and new fragments have continued to be discovered.
25:
97:
149:
The Edict exists only in fragments found mainly in the eastern part of the empire, where
Diocletian ruled. The reconstructed fragments have been sufficient to estimate many prices for goods and services for historical economists (although the Edict attempts to set maximum prices, not fixed ones). It
227:
It is difficult to know exactly how the coinage was changed, as the values and even the names of coins are often unknown or have been lost in the historical record. Although the decree was nominally successful for a short time after it was imposed, market forces led to more and more of the decree
189:, who blamed the emperors for the inflation and told of fighting and bloodshed that erupted from price tampering. By the end of Diocletian's reign in 305, the Edict was for all practical purposes ignored. The Roman economy as a whole was not substantively stabilized until
406:– for well over a thousand products. These products included various food items (beef, grain, wine, beer, sausages, etc.), clothing (shoes, cloaks, etc.), freight charges for sea travel, and weekly wages. The highest limit was on one pound of
261:
No complete copy of the decree has been found. The text has been reconstructed from fragments of Greek and Latin copies at a number of different sites, most of them in the eastern provinces of Roman empire:
224:
Earlier in his reign, as well as in 301 around the same time as the Edict on Prices, Diocletian issued
Currency Decrees, which attempted to reform the system of taxation and to stabilize the coinage.
395:
tribes attacking the empire. Merchants were forbidden to take their goods elsewhere and charge a higher price, and transport costs could not be used as an excuse to raise prices.
294:
in Caria was the first to be discovered and copied, by
William Sherard, the English consul at Smyrna, in 1709. The first attempt at a composite text was made in 1826 by
321:
and its fractions (although some modern writers call this the "denarius communis", this phrase is a modern invention, and is not found in any ancient text). The
468:
376:. This inflation is understood to be the reason the decree was issued. Issues of economic system feedback were not well understood at the time.
776:
713:
686:
1096:
1111:
430:
Each cell represents the ratio of the coin in the column to the coin in the row: thus 1000 denarii were worth 1 solidus.
950:
Isager, Jacob (2019). "Two New
Halikarnassian Fragments of Diocletian's Price Edict, one with Additions to the Chapter
873:
Edictum
Diocletiani et Collegarum de Pretiis Rerum Venalium in integrum fere restitutum e Latinis Graecisque Fragmentis
1131:
1126:
1001:
676:
68:
46:
729:
Crawford, Michael H.; Reynolds, Joyce (1975). "The
Publication of the Prices Edict: A New Inscription from Aezani".
306:
Although incomplete, enough of the text is preserved to make the general structure and contents of the edict clear.
39:
1106:
703:
1116:
146:. The document denounces greed and sets maximum prices and wages for all important articles and services.
1091:
202:
173:
The Edict on
Maximum Prices is still the longest surviving piece of legislation from the period of the
886:
Erim, K. T.; Reynolds, Joyce (1973). "The
Aphrodisias Copy of Diocletian's Edict on Maximum Prices".
81:
1013:"An English translation of the Edict on Maximum Prices, also known as the Price Edict of Diocletian"
731:
33:
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The first two-thirds of the Edict doubled the value of the copper and billon coins, and set the
50:
362:
190:
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221:
to reduce the underlying metallic value of coins used to pay soldiers and public officials.
295:
8:
1141:
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463:
291:
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963:
932:
923:
921:
Doyle, E. J. (1976). "Two New
Fragments of the Edict of Diocletian on Maximum Prices".
903:
806:
An Edict of
Diocletian Fixing a Maximum of Prices throughout the Roman Empire, A.D. 303
785:
756:
997:
748:
709:
682:
112:
895:
774:
Corcoran, Simon (2008). "The Heading of Diocletian's Prices Edict at Stratonicea".
740:
339:, and the bronze radiate at 4 or 5 denarii. The copper laureate was raised from 1
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804:
236:
86:
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The Empire of the Tetrarchs, Imperial Pronouncements and Government AD 284–324
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407:
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380:
250:
241:
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357:(although one document calls it a "solidus" it was still heavier than the
287:
315:, which Diocletian hoped to replace with a new system based on the silver
388:
206:
159:
967:
843:
An Economic Survey of Ancient Rome, vol. 5: Rome and Italy of the Empire
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271:
218:
210:
178:
155:
143:
116:
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845:. By Frank, Tenney. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. pp. 304–421.
453:
392:
373:
317:
283:
186:
174:
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309:
All coins in the Decrees and the Edict were valued according to the
1071:
Prices given in the price edict as compared with modern prices, at
899:
744:
473:
368:
During the previous decades the decreasing amount of silver in the
311:
182:
109:
1072:
1049:
398:
The last third of the Edict, divided into 32 sections, imposed a
391:, who were blamed for the inflation and who were compared to the
263:
232:
151:
231:
In the edict of Diocletian, it was mentioned that the wine from
134:, "Edict Concerning the Sale Price of Goods"; also known as the
458:
349:
331:
275:
96:
90:
279:
267:
167:
127:
419:
411:
105:
652:"The Common People of Ancient Rome, by Frank Frost Abbott"
286:. The version of the decree inscribed on the wall of the
875:. Genoa: Istituto di Storia Antica e Scienze Ausiliarie.
235:
was the most expensive wine, together with Falerno.
1078:
728:
228:being disregarded and reinterpreted over time.
819:
702:Sandler, Merton; Pinder, Roger (2002-12-19).
701:
885:
839:"The Edict of Diocletian on Maximum Prices"
956:Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik
777:Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik
870:
69:Learn how and when to remove this message
1039:
984:
820:Mommsen, Theodor; Blümner, Hugo (1893).
773:
239:was produced in Picenum, in the city of
95:
80:
32:This article includes a list of general
1023:
855:
1079:
1010:
949:
836:
920:
802:
678:Food in the Ancient World from A to Z
674:
1042:"The Prices Edict at Geraki, Greece"
1040:Corcoran, Simon (15 December 2009).
100:One of four pieces of the edict (in
18:
13:
978:
217:who minted their own coins, using
38:it lacks sufficient corresponding
14:
1153:
1033:
132:Edictum de Pretiis Rerum Venalium
193:'s coinage reforms in the 310s.
23:
1057:from the original on 2021-12-21
943:
914:
879:
864:
823:Der Maximaltarif des Diocletian
353:was revalued at at least 1,200
849:
830:
813:
803:Leake, William Martin (1826).
796:
767:
722:
705:Wine: A Scientific Exploration
695:
668:
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325:seems to have been set at 100
256:
177:. The Edict was criticized by
16:301 edict issued by Diocletian
1:
1026:Aphrodisias in Late Antiquity
1011:Kropff, Antony (2016-04-27).
637:
213:by the numerous emperors and
675:Dalby, Andrew (2013-04-15).
422:was set at the same price).
115:of St. John Chrysostomos in
7:
1097:Crisis of the Third Century
856:Lauffer, Siegfried (1971).
414:, which was set at 150,000
301:
203:Crisis of the Third Century
10:
1160:
1112:History of competition law
1028:. London: JRS Monograph 5.
681:. Routledge. p. 171.
425:
196:
142:) was issued in 301 AD by
85:Piece of the edict in the
871:Giacchero, Marta (1974).
708:. CRC Press. p. 66.
150:was probably issued from
1132:4th-century inscriptions
1127:300s in the Roman Empire
888:Journal of Roman Studies
732:Journal of Roman Studies
1107:Economy of ancient Rome
994:Oxford University Press
826:. Berlin: Georg Reimer.
124:Edict on Maximum Prices
53:more precise citations.
858:Diokletians Preisedikt
809:. London: John Murray.
119:
93:
860:. Berlin: De Gruyter.
837:Graser, Elsa (1940).
99:
84:
1117:4th century in Italy
1024:Roueche, C. (1989).
365:a few years later).
329:, the silver-washed
296:William Martin Leake
442:
437:
140:Edict of Diocletian
1092:4th century in law
438:
433:
372:coins had fuelled
249:, the old city of
158:and was set up in
120:
94:
715:978-0-203-36138-2
688:978-1-135-95422-2
656:www.gutenberg.org
635:
634:
435:Diocletian values
209:had been greatly
104:) re-used in the
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1017:Academia.edu
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952:De Pigmentis
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402:– a list of
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288:bouleuterion
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160:inscriptions
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1061:16 December
962:: 185–195.
784:: 295–302.
739:: 160–163.
389:speculators
363:Constantine
347:. The gold
274:, mainland
257:Rediscovery
219:base metals
201:During the
191:Constantine
183:rhetorician
51:introducing
1142:Regulation
1137:Diocletian
1081:Categories
894:: 99–110.
661:2020-03-17
638:References
503:Argenteus
385:profiteers
272:Asia Minor
179:Lactantius
156:Alexandria
144:Diocletian
34:references
753:0075-4358
613:Denarius
590:Laureate
454:Argenteus
393:barbarian
374:inflation
323:argenteus
318:argenteus
284:Cyrenaica
187:Nicomedia
175:Tetrarchy
1055:Archived
988:(2000).
968:48632386
924:Hesperia
790:20476543
558:Radiate
480:Solidus
474:Denarius
469:Laureate
341:denarius
312:denarius
302:Contents
215:usurpers
110:medieval
59:May 2012
1050:YouTube
1045:(video)
616:1/1,000
578:⁄
546:⁄
526:Nummus
464:Radiate
449:Solidus
426:Coinage
416:denarii
359:solidus
355:denarii
345:denarii
337:denarii
327:denarii
264:Phrygia
233:Picenum
211:debased
197:History
152:Antioch
138:or the
47:improve
1122:Edicts
1000:
966:
937:147719
935:
908:299169
906:
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761:370069
759:
751:
712:
685:
498:1,000
459:Nummus
410:-dyed
408:purple
404:maxima
370:billon
350:aureus
335:at 25
332:nummus
282:, and
276:Greece
247:Hadria
242:Hatria
117:Geraki
113:Church
91:Berlin
36:, but
964:JSTOR
933:JSTOR
904:JSTOR
786:JSTOR
757:JSTOR
619:1/100
593:1/500
561:1/200
343:to 2
280:Crete
268:Caria
185:from
168:Latin
164:Greek
128:Latin
102:Greek
1063:2009
998:ISBN
749:ISSN
710:ISBN
683:ISBN
622:1/25
599:2/25
596:1/50
564:1/20
529:1/40
521:100
506:1/10
420:lion
412:silk
387:and
383:for
266:and
251:Atri
181:, a
166:and
122:The
106:door
1087:301
960:209
954:".
896:doi
782:166
741:doi
628:1/2
625:1/5
602:2/5
567:1/5
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532:1/4
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492:200
290:at
270:in
245:or
162:in
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