How corrupt were the EB factions?

[machinor]

Just look at the typical Hellenistic tax colleting system. From today's point of view a sheer abyss of corruption.

Well, everything in this world, to an intelligent and wise person is relative.

Well, "everything is relative" is an absolute statement, so if everything were relative then so would be the "fact" that everything is relative. Kind of a self-contradicting statement.

[A Very Super Market]

Only an AP deals in absolutes...

[Atraphoenix]

it must be a logical deduction; the more entended a state, the more corrupted as it is..
Even ancient philosophers admits it IDK who said "governers are the ones in a society who have the privilages of liying"..
İf you think about Rome, AS, later Arsacids became very corrupted. In Rome local governors tried to be emperor, in AS and Arsacids local governors tried to be king themselves in their land.
Both empire were declined even arsacid kingdom died because of the rise of the power of local governors.(Strap of Parsa, a strap of the king managed to capture whole kingdom even killed the king!)
So the size of an empire also determines what size of corruption she has.

[Maion Maroneios]

Basically I agree with everyone above; every government that rises to a certain power is bound to get corrupted.

Maion

[machinor]

Even ancient philosophers admits it IDK who said "governers are the ones in a society who have the privilages of liying"..

I agree with everything you stated, but I must correct you on that. The RTW quote you're referring to is a very sloppy translation of a passage in Plato's "Politeia".

From the EB Quotes Project:

τοι̂ς ἄρχουσιν δὴ τη̂ς πόλεως, εἴπερ τισὶν ἄλλοις, προσήκει ψεύδεσθαι ἢ πολεμίων ἢ πολιτω̂ν ἕνεκα ἐπ' ὠφελίᾳ τη̂ς πόλεως, τοι̂ς δὲ ἄλλοις πα̂σιν οὐχ ἁπτέον του̂ τοιούτου:
The rulers then of the city may, if anybody, fitly lie on account of enemies or citizens for the benefit of the state; no others may have anything to do with it
Plato, Republic, Book III, 389b

Sorry for nitpicking.

[konny]

Don't forgett that early states' officials often were not payed on regular basis, and more or less expected to cheat the crown to own their living. This might have been in fact more effective (or say, cheaper) than the government establishing a more effective system of administration that gave the crown enough revenue that would have allowed to pay high ranking official in way that would correspond with their office.

Or to quote Frederick the Great, responding when a retired tax collector complained about his small pension: "I had placed you to the feeder. Why haven't you eaten?".

[machinor]

Or to quote Frederick the Great, responding when a retired tax collector complained about his small pension: "I had placed you to the feeder. Why haven't you eaten?".

Good ol' Frederick the Great. He always had a witty reply up his sleeve.