A more thorough explanation:

tributum

In ancient Rome, tributum was a tax that was imposed on people or land in the provinces. It was initially a tax that was collected during times of war, but later became a regular tax.

• When the Roman army conquered a new territory, they would impose tributum on the people living there.
• The tributum was used to fund the Roman army and other government expenses.

These examples illustrate how tributum was a tax that was imposed on people or land in the Roman provinces. It was used to fund the Roman army and other government expenses.