DEFINITION of ALABARCH: The alabarch was the head of the alabarchy, which was a Roman magistracy in Egypt responsible for the assaying of gold (Latin: obrussa) probably including the ores extracted from the gold mines of Egypt and Nubia. The Alabarch reported to the Prefect in Alexandria who had overall responsibility for management of gold production in Egypt.

Source: Emperor Justinian, Edict XI. (not available in English translation; see more below)

Stamps of Roman assayers on a gold bar (in British Museum) - photograph by Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin. See larger image and licensing at https://www.ancient.eu/image/5867/

Historical Sources for the Alabarch

The "alabarch" or the "alabarchy" are mentioned in eleven ancient sources: five are literary references in Josephus's Jewish Antiquities, one is from a list of names on a Greek papyrus, three are from Greek inscriptions, and two are from Latin legal texts.

About half of all ancient sources on alabarchs have never been translated into English.

Only one ancient source descibes the historical function of the alabarchy.

Based on the text of Emperor Justinian's Edict XI, the responsibility of the alabarch was obrussa, or the asssaying of gold. An assayer tested and certified the purity of gold by marking it with an official stamp. The same text suggests that the authority of the alabarch *may* have been broader than an official assayer of gold and may have encompassed responsibilties related to weights or coinage. It may even have had something to do with the overland transport of gold from the mines since the Theodosian Code, IV.13.9 appears to proscribe the alabarchy(?) from receiving any further exemptions on the impost (tax) on transportation of animals.

• After Octavian (Augustus) defeated Cleopatra, Egypt became the single largest source of gold for the Roman Empire until the later exploitation of gold deposits in Spain and Dacia.

• During the Roman period, the gold mines in Egypt were very active and additional roads and waterways were created to transport the mined gold. 1

• Augustus decided that Egypt would have its own distinct coinage separate from Rome. The coins were created by the mint in Alexandria. The Alexandrian mint does not appear to have minted gold coins -- at least not to any great extent. 2

• There is considerable evidence in the papyri that gold flakes or nuggets were used in Egypt for both trade and paying taxes. Such gold would have needed to be weighed and assayed.3

Theories on the Meaning of the Term "Alabarch"

Other theories for the "alabarch" have been proposed over the past hundred years, but NONE of the theories have assembled ALL of the historical references to alabarchs until now (see below).

Assessing the merits of different theories:

• Old theory 1: The alabarch was a leader of the Jewish community in Alexandria.
  Analysis: The religion is known of four alabarchs. Two were Jewish, Alexander (Josephus, Ant, 18.259), Demetrius (Josephus, Ant, 20.147), one was a pagan who offered a prayer to Poseidon, Mausōlos (I.G.R.R. III, 608), and the fourth was Christian, Anastasios (IG XII Suppl. 673) Obviously, the pagan and the Christian alabarchs were not going to be leaders of the Jewish community, so it is unlikely the "alabarch" was a Jewish title.

• Old theory 2: The alabarch was a type of tax collector.
  Analysis: The papyri have provided extensive information on tax (or customs) collecting in Roman Egypt including the rank and title of every type of tax collector from the village sitologoi on up. Sufficient papyri exist to track tax collecting over several centuries.4

  In NO papyrological source is the alabarchy or alabarch ever connected with tax collecting.

  The basis for associating the role of alabarch with the collecting of taxes is a difficult translation of the Theodosian Code, IV.13.9. Although this Code mentions the alabarchy in a section on "Imposts and Confiscations," the exact meaning is unclear.

  "We eliminate the usurpation of all presumption concerning the impost of the alabarchy (vectigal alabarchiae) established for Egypt and Augustamnica (a division of Egypt), and We concede that no exemption be impudently claimed for the transportation of animals,... "

  Are these two unrelated laws that were placed together here only because they both apply only to Egypt?

  In the first clause, someone was trying to 'usurp the impost of the alabarchy.' Justinian's Edict XI, makes it clear that the alabarchy did receive some sort of personal profit/lucro as part of the magisterial function (perhaps a fee or percentage for gold assayed?). Was there also an imperial tax collected when assaying gold? It's possible, but more research will need to be done.

  This is followed by the clause stopping the 'impudent claim of exemption of the transportation of animals'-- presumably an exemption from taxes.

  Who was impudently claiming an exemption for the transportation of animals? the alabarchy? Claiming an exemption from a tax is not the same as being a tax collector. What does claiming an 'exemption for transportation of animals' have to do with a 'presumption of the impost of the alabarchy'?

  Regardless of how the two clauses of the Theodosian Code, IV.13.9 are connected, there is insufficient evidence in them to support a determination that an alabarch was any type of tax collector.

• Current theory: The alabarchy was a Roman magistracy repsponible for the assaying of gold in Egypt.
  Analysis: Emperor Justinian's Edict XI is the only source that provides direct evidence for the historical role of the alabarchy. The Edict discusses how the alabarchy was a magistracy responsible for obrussa, the assaying of gold in Egypt. In the Roman Empire, gold producing areas had magistrates responsible for testing the purity of gold and then certifying that purity using an assayer's stamp. The Edict also discusses weights and coinage (ponderatores et monetarii), but more work will need to be done to determine if these also fell into the scope of the alabarchy.

  The challenge with using the Edict for understanding the alabarchy is that its date of 559 A.D. is quite late. Since the times of the earliest known alabarchies of the first century, Rome had split into Western and Eastern Empires and had become Christian. Things may have changed.

  On the other hand, in the Edict, Justinian repeatedly uses the Latin tum (at that time) and indicates in the preface and Section I that he is describing how things were in the past, why it was done, why the alabarchy only existed in Egypt -- and why he was now changing the old ways.

  Given the continuing importance of gold mining in Egypt for all of the centuries the Roman Empire, it seems likely that the general role of the alabarchy that appears in Edict XI (eg. gold assayer) remained constant. It is possible, though, that the exact duties and privileges of the alabarch changed over time.

2. Si quid enim tale ausi fuerint, et bona eorum publicamus et corporis poenis eos subicimus, quippe qui ne post nostrum quidem mandatum de familiari ipsis improbitate destiterint. Sed etiam prorsus necesse habebunt aurum inferre, tum praefecto apud Alexandrinos augustali et qui quoque tempore eum magistratum gerunt in consuetis emissionibus, tum alabarchae et qui nunc est et qui quoque tempore futurus est, et sacrorum nostrorum thesaurorum praeposito, nullo prorsus pro obrussa accepto lucro.

3. III. Ita autem eum iussimus hanc rem curare eosque, qui post eum magistratum suscepturi sunt, et cohortes iis parentes, ut sciant, si pro obrussa aut a sacrarum nostrarum alabarchiarum praefectis aut a sacrarum nostrarum largitionum praeposito quicquam ipsos exegisse manifestum fiat, de suis se id pensuros esse, tam ex deputatis ipsis et cohortibus annonis, quam ex facultatibus suis, non solum donec in magistratu fuerint,

Edict XI. How no one can supply the weights and coinage for Egypt by which the requirement for assaying of gold ...

2. ... But it was wholly necessary to have an overseer of gold, at that time it was the prefect of Alexandria and who also at the time was given a magistracy as was customary, at that time it was the alabarchy, but who now and in the future time will be our dedicated treasury, so that no one assaying gold (literally: testing gold by fire) will receive profit or gain.

3. Thus, moreover, the justness of this law will be applied with careful diligence, which our magistracy is undertaking, in case that the assaying of gold is a sacred duty of our alabarchy of the prefect, or a sacred duty of himself to bestow freely....