Actuarius (Roman Empire)

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Actuarius or Actarius ( Latin from agere "act"; plural actuarii ) denoted several functions in the Roman Empire , that of a secretary , later also an accountant and administrator in the Roman military.

Actuarii are attested as "quick writers " of speeches since the republican times , in the imperial era also in the function of an accountant or record keeper .

In the Roman military , the Actuarii from the field of NCOs have been known since 14 September 143 through the papyrus BGU III 741.4. You are to be addressed as steward and were responsible for the administration of the granaries (Horrea) and for the troop supply. The unit in which the Actuarii served was decisive for their rank and salary. While the stewards came from the ranks of the military during the principate, they became pure civil servants in late antiquity. Their task was to send the permitted amount of grain to their unit upon presentation of a receipt. When selling the deliveries in kind, he had to pay the soldiers the money he received.

According to the Historia Augusta, an actuarius was the originator of the conspiracy that fell victim to the Emperor Victorinus in Cologne in 271 .

See also

Today's meaning

The term Actuarius was retained for court clerks beyond antiquity, in Germany until the 19th century, and in church courts until today. From the Latin actuarius , first the English actuary , then the German equivalent, actuary, was formed. Both loanwords are now used exclusively for the actuary (insurance industry) , especially if he works as a responsible actuary .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ About Suetonius , Divus Iulius 55, 3 .
  2. Petronius , Satyricon 53: 1 ; CIL 6, 5182 ; CIL 6,9106 .
  3. CIL 14, 2255 .
  4. Konrad Stauner : The "Cornicularius" in the offices of the comital and ducal commanders in the "Notitia dignitatum". In: Tyche. Contributions to ancient history, papyrology and epigraphy . Volume 25, 2010; here: p. 138.
  5. Irene-Maria Cervenka-Ehrenstrasser: Lexicon of Latin loanwords in the Greek-language documentary texts of Egypt with consideration of Coptic sources . Fascicle 1, (= messages from the papyrus collection of the Austrian National Library 27) Hollinek, Vienna 1996. p. 65.
  6. ^ Historia Augusta , Tyranni triginta 6 .