A tribute (from the Latin tributum, contribution) is the wealth, often in kind, that one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often the case in historical contexts, of submission or loyalty. Several ancient states demanded tribute from the rulers of the land that the state conquered or threatened to conquer. In the case of alliances, smaller parties can pay tribute to the more powerful parties as a sign of loyalty and often to fund projects that benefit both parties. To be called "tribute" normally requires an acknowledgment by the payer of political submission to the beneficiary; The large sums, essentially monetary protection, paid by the later Roman and Byzantine Empires to thebarbarian peoples to prevent them from attacking the imperial territory, would not generally be called "tribute", since the Empire did not accept any inferior political position. Payments from a higher to a lower political entity, made for various purposes, are described by terms that include “subsidy”.
The ancient Persian Achaemenid Empire is an example of an ancient tribute empire; One who made relatively few demands on his non-Persian subjects other than the regular payment of tribute, which could be gold, luxury items, animals, soldiers, or slaves. However, the failure to maintain payments had dire consequences. Reliefs at Persepolis show processions of figures bearing various types of tribute.
The medieval Mongol rulers of Russia also expected a tribute from the Russian states, which continued to rule themselves. Athens received tribute from the other cities of the Delian League. The empires of Assyria, Babylon, Carthage, and Rome demanded tribute from their subject provinces and kingdoms. Ancient China received tribute from various states such as Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Borneo, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, and Central Asia. The Aztec Empire is another example. The Roman republic demanded tribute in the form of payments equivalent to proportional property taxes, for the purpose of waging war.
The empires of the tribute contrast with those that, like the Roman Empire, controlled and guarded the subject territories. A tributary state is one that maintains its political position and independence as it has done only by paying tribute.
