institution known as the publicum. On a number of occasions it is recorded that various patricians incurred the anger of the plebs by paying the spoils from war into the publicum rather than the aerarium, for example Quintus Fabius Vibulanus in 485 BC following a victory over the Volsci and Aequi. From this it has been argued that the publicum was a fund administered by the patricians, but this has been disputed by others. References Citations Sources External links Aerarium (article in Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities) Economy of ancient Rome Government of the Roman Empire Economic history of Italy