Talking Tax Cross-Border Tax Fraud an Old Story, Roman Scroll Shows (Rerun)
Nov 26, 2025
Anna Dolganoff, a Roman historian from the Austrian Academy of Sciences specializing in ancient legal documents, joins journalist Caleb Harshberger for a riveting discussion on a rediscovered Roman papyrus detailing a tax-fraud case. They explore the intricacies of a cross-border tax evasion scheme involving enslaved individuals, the harsh realities of Roman court practices, and the severe penalties faced by the accused. Anna highlights how this ancient case sheds light on the long-standing issues of tax fraud, revealing that it’s a problem as old as civilization itself.
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Long-Lost Papyrus Rediscovered
- A misfiled Greek papyrus sat unopened for ~70 years until a new inventory revealed it.
- Anna Dolganov joined a team to decipher the compact prosecutor cheat-sheet found in that drawer.
Prosecutors' Compact Court Cheat-Sheet
- Prosecutors prepared a compact, legalese cheat-sheet to guide courtroom speeches and counter defenses.
- The document then shifts into a rapid live transcript that records parts of the hearing itself.
Fake Cross-Border Slave Sales
- Thaulos arranged paper sales of slaves to an Arabian buyer while physically keeping them to dodge taxes.
- The scheme relied on poor cross-provincial communication so the buyer wouldn't register the purchase locally.