The Plebs

The Plebs

rest of population of Rome consisted of plebs, foreigners and slaves
1. Poor but free-born Romans
2. Middle-class Roman beneath the property qualification for the equestrian rank and freedmen who became Roman Citizen upon manumission
Plebs held considerable political power
1. empire most of their constitutional power had been removed
  1. magistrates or the passing of some laws, they had little power to actually choose these
    1. Caused disruption through riots and anonymous slogans
    2. Juvenal's
      1. 'those who once gave power, rods of office, legions, everything, now restrain themselves and hope anxiously for two things only, bread and circuses'
        Juvenal suggests that the food and entertainments served to replace the mob's desire for political power
Augustus
1. Suetonius
  1. "when the people complained of the car city and high price of wine, he sharply rebuked... ' my son-in-law Agrippa has taken care, by building several aqueducts, that men shall not go thirsty"
  2. "I was strongly inclined to do away forever with distribution of Grain"
Tiberius
1. Tacitus
  1. "corn-supplying provinces, an dwelt on the far larger amount of grain imported by himself than by Augustus"
Nero
1. Suetonius
  1. "while the people were suffering from hunger it was reported that a ship had arrives...brining sand for the court wrestlers"

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