Taxation districts of the Achaemenid Empire

Herodotus divided the Achaemenid Empire into 20 districts for the purpose of tribute payments. The following is a description of the ethnic makeup of the districts and the amount they paid in taxes, translated from Herodotus' Histories.[1][2]

Volume of annual tribute per district, in the Achaemenid Empire.[1][2][3]

Accounting units

The quantities of silver are given in Babylonian talent (1 Babylonian talent = about 30.3 kg), while the quantities of gold (India only) are given in Euboïc/Euboean talent (1 Euboïc talent = about 26 kg).[2][1] Only the Hindush paid in gold, the exchange rate of gold to silver being 1 to 13 by weight at the time of Herodotus.[2][1]

Tax districts

The order of the districts given here follows Herodotus, Histories, III.90–94. In hellenocentric way it starts with Ionia and Mysia. The official Persian order of the provinces, as devised under Darius I in 518 BCE, was different and started from the Empire's capital: 1. Media, 2. Susa, etc.[4] For comparison, it is given in the rightmost column.

DistrictSatrapiesTribute per District % of totalDarius's provinces
IIonians, Asian Magnesians, Aeolians, Carians, Lycians, Milyans, Pamphylians400 Babylonian talents of silver3.6%10. Ionia
IIMysians, Lydians, Lasonians, Cabalians, Hytennians500 Babylonian talents of silver4.5%9. Lydia
IIIHellespontine Phrygians, Phrygians, Asian Thracians, Paphlagonians, Mariandynians, Syrians360 Babylonian talents of silver3.2%8. Cappadocia
IVCilicians500 Babylonian talents of silver along with 360 white horses (one for each day of the year); of the talents, 140 were used to maintain the cavalry force that guarded Cilicia4.5%11. "Sealand" (Cilicia and Cyprus)
VThe area from the town of Posidium as far as Egypt, omitting Arabian territory (which did not pay taxes). All Yehud Medinata (Judea/Israel), Cyprus, and most of Phoenicia were herein contained. In the biblical Book of Ezra, this district is called Abar Nahara ("beyond the Euphrates river")350 Babylonian talents of silver3.1%4. Assyria,
5. Arabia
VIEgyptians and the Libyans in the border towns of Cyrene and Barca700 Babylonian talents of silver, in addition to the money from the fish in Lake Moeris, and 120,000 bushels of grain for the Persian troops and their auxiliaries stationed in the White Castle at Memphis6.3%6. Egypt
VIISattagydians, Gandharans, Dadicae, Aparytae (Indian Satrapies)170 Babylonian talents of silver1.5%19. Gandhara
VIIISusa and the surrounding area, Cissia300 Babylonian talents of silver2.7%2. Susiane
IXMesopotamia (Babylonia and Assyria)1000 Babylonian talents of silver and 500 eunuch boys9%3. Mesopotamia
XEcbatana and the rest of Media along with the Paricanians and Orthocorybantians450 Babylonian talents of silver4%1. Media
XICaspians, Pausicae, Pantimathi, and Daritaea joint sum of 200 Babylonian talents of silver1.8%
XIIBactrians and all neighboring peoples as far as the Aegli360 Babylonian talents of silver3.2%15. Bactria
XIIIPactyica, Armenians, and all the peoples as far as the Black Sea400 Babylonian talents of silver3.6%7. Armenia
XIVSagartians, Sarangians, Thamanaeans, Utians, Myci, and the inhabitants of the Persian Gulf islands (where prisoners or displaced people were sent)together they paid 600 Babylonian talents3.6%12. Sagartia
XVthe Sacae and the Caspians250 Babylonian talents of silver2.2%
XVIParthians, Chorasmians, Sogdians, and Arians300 Babylonian talents of silver2.7%13. Parthia,
14. Aria,
16. Sogdiane
XVIIParicanians and Asiatic Ethiopians400 Babylonian talents of silver3.6%20. Maka
XVIIIthe Matienians, Saspires, Alarodians200 Babylonian talents of silver1.8%
XIXthe Mushki, Tibareni, Macrones, Mossynoeci, Marres300 Babylonian talents of silver2.7%
XXIndia360 Euboïc talents of gold dust, equivalent to 4680 Euboïc talents of silver, or 3600 Babylonian talents of silver.[1][2]32%17. Arachosia,
18. India
TotalTotal of all annual tributes, in Babylonian talent silver equivalent11,200 Babylonian talents of silver, equivalent to 14,560 Euboïc talents of silver100%

See also

Citations
  1. Herodotus Book III, 89-95
  2. Archibald, Zosia; Davies, John K.; Gabrielsen, Vincent (2011). The Economies of Hellenistic Societies, Third to First Centuries BC. Oxford University Press. p. 404. ISBN 9780199587926.
  3. "INDIA RELATIONS: ACHAEMENID PERIOD – Encyclopaedia Iranica". www.iranicaonline.org.
  4. Hermann Bengtson, Vladimir Milojčić (ed.), Grosser Historischer Weltatlas, Erster Teil: Vorgeschichte und Altertum (München, Bayerischer Schulbuch-Verlag, 4th ed., 1963), p. 11, Map (b), "Reich der Meder und Perser".

General references
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.