Barter, in the sense used by the economists, is trade between two individuals OF EQUAL RANK in two different cottage industries, (two equal traders). I swap you my cloths for your knives. That is not, however, what Tacitus is describing. When the son's parents have to pay a dowrie to the brides family, that is not barter. When a "slave" (or tenant, read it closely and he is defining a tenant as a slave) has to pay tribute to his "master" (landlord), he is not describing barter. When land is alotted by rank and status for past deeds, as he describes if you read on, he is not describing barter. It would be interesting to see what word he used in the original Latin.
