rest of population of Rome consisted
of plebs, foreigners and slaves
Poor but free-born Romans
Middle-class Roman beneath the property
qualification for the equestrian rank and freedmen
who became Roman Citizen upon manumission
Plebs held considerable political power
empire most of their
constitutional power had
been removed
magistrates or the passing of some
laws, they had little power to actually
choose these
Caused disruption through riots and anonymous slogans
Juvenal's
'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
Suetonius
"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"
"I was strongly inclined to do
away forever with distribution
of Grain"
Tiberius
Tacitus
"corn-supplying provinces, an dwelt on the far
larger amount of grain imported by himself than by
Augustus"
Nero
Suetonius
"while the people were
suffering from hunger it was
reported that a ship had
arrives...brining sand for the
court wrestlers"