Oct 22, 2026 · 16 min · 9 segments
In 42 BCE, the Roman government was in the midst of Civil War and one faction tried to fund it by taxing its women. Roman women banded together and said, nope, we don't want to pay taxes to fund a…
Of course, most civilizations would have laughed at the concept.
Nothing is certain except death and taxes, they say, and representation is definitely not certain.
In world history, it's not even very likely.
Taxes, on the other hand, you can count on.
Many taxes throughout history have been paid in goods.
Money wasn't always widely circulating.
Taxes are at least as old as 3000 BCE, when the Egyptian pharaohs participated in the Shemsu Hor, or the Egyptian cattle count, where they traveled around the countryside, assessing the farmers' herds, and taking a cut.
And if you haven't even got goods to involuntarily donate to your country...
You do have 365 days in a year.
Many societies may not have required goods, per se, but saw no reason why you can't break your back over the state's fields for at least some of those days.
And it wasn't just men doing the backbreaking.
Women have done plenty of labor.
But we're going to ignore all of that, too, and talk about a time when money was widely circulating and taxes could be paid in actual money, though you could also pay in other things as well.
Of course, most civilizations would have laughed at the concept.
Nothing is certain except death and taxes, they say, and representation is definitely not certain.
In world history, it's not even very likely.
Taxes, on the other hand, you can count on.
Many taxes throughout history have been paid in goods.
Money wasn't always widely circulating.
Taxes are at least as old as 3000 BCE, when the Egyptian pharaohs participated in the Shemsu Hor, or the Egyptian cattle count, where they traveled around the countryside, assessing the farmers' herds, and taking a cut.
And if you haven't even got goods to involuntarily donate to your country...
You do have 365 days in a year.
Many societies may not have required goods, per se, but saw no reason why you can't break your back over the state's fields for at least some of those days.
And it wasn't just men doing the backbreaking.
Women have done plenty of labor.
But we're going to ignore all of that, too, and talk about a time when money was widely circulating and taxes could be paid in actual money, though you could also pay in other things as well.
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