PUBLICANI, the name given in ancient Rome to a body of men who either hired state property or monopolies to farm for their own profit or bought for a fixed sum the right to farm the taxes due to the treasury from the public land in Italy, or the land held by Roman subjects in the provinces. In early times the sen ate entrusted to officials the control of the sale of salt (Livy iii. g), and it was a development from this that the state, instead of ap pointing officials to manage its monopolies, let out those monopo lies to individuals. A regular system was established by which the censors who held office every fifth year, placed the sources of pub lic revenue in the hands of individuals or companies, who on pay ment of a fixed sum into the treasury, or on giving adequate security for such payment, received the right to make what profit they could out of the revenues during the five years elapsing be fore the next censorship. The assignment was made to the highest bidder at a public auction. The same system was applied to the public works, the publicanus in this case being paid a certain sum, in return for which he took entire charge of a certain department of the public works. That this system was well established at the time of the Second Punic War is assumed in Livy's account of the various offers made by the wealthier class of citizens to relieve the exhausted treasury after the battle of Cannae (216 B.c.). On the one hand we have companies offering for branches of the reve nue a price which was calculated rather to meet the needs of the state than to ensure any profit for themselves (Livy xxiii. 49). On
the other hand individuals are represented as undertaking the man agement of public works on the understanding that they would expect no payment until the conclusion of the war (ibid. xxiv.
Since wealth was a necessary qualification for the post, and wealth at Rome became more and more confined to the commercial class, the publicani became identical with the class of capitalists and traders. This was distinct at Rome from the senatorial class, which was excluded from it by definite enactment (see SENATE), and, except in face of common danger, was often hostile to it. It was in their capacity of publicani in the wealthiest provinces that the capitalist or equestrian iudices (see EQUITES) became a men ace to the provincial governors who represented the senatorial power. When the demands of the equestrian party determined the policy of the state we can trace the interests of the publicani as the motive of its action. Thus the fate of the Roman business men in Cirta led to the Jugurthine War in 112 B.C. ; the disorgani zation of Asiatic commerce by the pirates led the equites to sup port the proposal to confer extraordinary powers on Pompey in 67 B.C. ; and the quarrel over the contracts for the taxes of Asia in 6o B.C. led to the downfall of the senatorial party.
Under the empire the publicani were subject to close supervi sion. The name appears as "publicans" in the New Testament.