The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-04
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
IMMENSE SUMS ACCUMULATED AND
SPENT BY EARLY POTENTATEs.
Sources from Which Public Revenues
Were Derived-The World Looted
for Them-Private Fortunes.
London Standard.


and wonders where the money came from.
But when, by chance. a learned person sug-
gests the inquiry only an idiot fails to be
struck for a moment. 1t is so curious that
while modern states. with all the accumu-
lated wealth of the antique world at their
back and the treasures of Mexico, Califor-
MIA, Australia, the Transvaal in addition,
have to consider ways and means with
anxious care before building a government
office, the early monarchs raised palaces
and temples by the hundred at will. The
thoughtless have a ready explanation-slave
labor did it. all. But, in the first place, the
slaves had to be procured somehow-by war
or purchase-and either means eXpen-
sive. There is a reply to that objection
equally facile-the war paid its own cost
in loot But this only leads US a step back
ward. The loot must have been enormous,
and where did it come from? In the sec
ond place, those slaves had to be fed, and
however cheap their rations, the sum total
must have been immense when such vast
numbers were employed
But captives of war could only do rough
work. They might build the Coliseum or
the pyramids, directed by an army of
skilled craftsmen. But the sculpture of
Assyrian palaces, the painting of Egyptian
temples and tombs, must have been effected
by artists, probably free, or, if slaves,
trained at great expense. When we read
that the city of Dur-Sargunu was created
on an empty plain. by order of the King.
in eight years, standing q mound of
brick seven hundred acres in area, its walls
sixty feet high, broad enough for seven
charlotS to run abreast, and faced with
stone, all the evidence is needed to make
US credit the story; but the marvel becomes
far greater when we observe the miles of
sculptured stone that decorated Sargon's
palace, with colossal bulls on each side OF
every doorway. No Impractical hand
carved those relefs They are the work Of
artists, not made for sale when wanted,
of the royal annals. Were all the sculptorS
Of the empire summoned TO this task, to be
nhlsheu IN elgnt years but me toAhps VI
private individuals in Egypt must nave
been painted at the cost of the family by
masters of the craft; animals and birds
show a skill not to be surpassed We may
be quite sure that work like this was high
ly paddy comparison, that is, with slave
labor.
WHERE DID THEY GET 1T?
So the question recurs, how much gold
and silver did these ancents possess? In
the Roman time men appear to have been
struck with the evidence of vast wealth
displayed by their predecessors, such as
the Caesars could not equal. But they es-
capped the difficulty with ease by granting
them riches literally beyond the dreams of
avarice. DR.. Arbuthnot, for example, has
patiently reckoned up the amount of treas
ure heaped upon the pile of Sardanapalus
by Athenaeus, and he finds that it came
to 916, 953 120, 900 in our money at the least,
for if a computation which Athenaeus him
self suggests be admitted the total would
be about twice as large. After this, the
statement of Diodorus that the Pharaohs
Of
nually from gold mines in the Bishari des-
ert, and drew an equal sum by taxation,
is very moderate. But when the same most
valuable Writer-Who talked nonsense only
when he repeated the words of other men
comes to deal with Babylon, he let's himself
60 There was a gold statue of Zeus-the
Greek assigned his own gods to Babylon as
usual-forty feet high of Rhea equally tall
with lion Of gold at each knee, and silver
SerpentS to correspond; Juno weighed 900
talents in front of her was golden table,
500 talents, upon which stood two cups, 300
talents each, and three bowls, 12OO, 6OO and
GOO talents. These ornaments OF a single
temple represented about 31I,0OOO0O, and
the building was covered with gold plates.
1t has been calculated that the statue of
ACKNOWLEDGMENT mentioned in Daniel would
be worth three and a half millions sterling;
that the treasure left by David amounted to
hundred and fifty millions In gold, two
hundred millions in silver; but the value OF
the Hebrew talent is doubtful. We are told
that Pytheus. seemingly private gentle
man Of Phrygea, entertained Xerxcs and all
his army-"with most sumptuous feasts,'
too-and then had 84,H00N left or, as
some compute, 336O0,000. The tale of Alex
ander's loot is most wonderful of all, and
that is historic if we entertain doubts, it
is futile to express them when the state
ments are SO clear and the means of dis
proving them absent. In the Persian camp,
then and at Babylon, Alexander secured
something like GI0,0000 O0; at Persepols,
918O O00 900; at PasagGrd1aa, a trife OF -
600 900: at Ecbatana, sG270, geo 000-say $780,
OOO 0O0 And Darius carried off G9OO0,O0O,
which his murderers seized.
SOURCES OF REVENUE.
We come to the prosaic facts which have
been collected by several patient inquirers
from note or a hint here and there. OF
Egypt, indeed, nothing profitable can be
said until the age of the Ptolemies, and
little even then. The Pharaohs certainly
drew a considerable revenue from their gold
mines, and a multitude of inscriptions show
them receiving tribute of the precious metal
from Ethiopia and Syria in the days of
their supremacy. Before and afterwards
the people Were great manufacturers and
traders. Ptolemy Philadelphus left &5OO0O,
0O0 at least in his treasury. Herodotus tells
us the revenue of the Persian empire, I'M
der Darius Hystaspes, and the moderation
of the sum is assurance that he obtained
his figures from competent authority-it
was about G3250, 900; but this was cash
alone SOlOmOn'S revenue is said to have
been far greater over 81 600 in gold and
as much in silver; but it has been men
toned that Hebrew talents cannot be COM
puted with certainty. That with such an
income the Persian monarchs could con-
trive to hoard the amazing treasures cap
tured by Alexander has often been ques-
toned: but may suppose that the rev.
enue had increased vastly since HerOdotus
wrote and that the taxes in kind and the
tribute yielded far more than the returns in
cash: and the plumber of Egypt, northern
India Syria and countless nations must be
added We are told. ed that the Mace
DOMAIN loot represented the accumulation
of ages. But it is q relief, as ever in such
cases TO get to Rome where dry facts pre-
vail Pliny remarks that the treasury had
This is a reasonable figure When Angus
tus had organized the public service and
ascertained precisely what the receipts and
expenses of the empire might be, he found
that the annual income was about $4,000,
000 and he declared that it left a very small
balance Ito the good. But Caesar had
private resources for any extravaganza he
might fancy.
Augustus was no tyrant, but people reck-
Oned that during his lifetime he received
no less than e32. coo 600 by legacy from
friends The savings of Tiberius amounted
to e21 J0nC coo, which. again, Is reasonable.
Caligula spent all this in a twelvemOnth.
Some private fortunes may be given: Cras-
sus had about Ell 600 coo in cash and lands
TO the same value; Seneca, So, 450 600; Len
tulus the Augur. IS $50, 00O. When the
villa of Marcus Scaurus was burned they
sar declared, after the expenses of the
!, hor He V-gG