Empire - Bread and circuses Flashcards
(76 cards)
What does Juvenal cite as the chief concern of the plebs?
They no longer want to determine who rules or have responsibility - they have “anxiety for 2 things only: Bread and circuses”
How did Augustus get the whole of rome on side?
“he seduced the soldiery with gifts, the people with corn and all with the delights of peace” - Tac. Ann
What does trajan realise about the people?
Marcus cornelius fronto
(95-116 AD) -
“the people of rome were kept in check by 2 things especially: the corn dole and the shows”
what makes Augustus both a republican, saviour and feeder?
“I did not accept the dictatorship that was offered to me… Idid not decline to manage the corn supply during a very severe shortage… I freed the entire community from pressing fear and danger… I did not accept the lifetime consulship”
Res gest.
How did Aug. deal with immense grain shortage (less diplomatic)?
“expelling every useless mouth from the city: slaves… Members of gladiatorial schools… foreign residents (except physicians and teachers) and a huge crowd of household slaves”
Suet.
What did Aug toy with doing to the corn dole and why did he not?
after improvement “I had a good mind to permanently stop the supply of grain… reliance on which had discouraged reliance on italian agriculture, but refrained because some politician would be bound one day to revive the dole as a means to ingratiating himself with the people”
Suet.
where did Tib. political career begin?
under aug when “he had undertaken 2 special comissions to reorganise the defective grain supply and enquire into the state of slave barracks”
suet.
What was the worry with corn in AD 19 and ho was it stopped?
“the terrible expense… fixed the sale price and promised a subsidiary… for dealers
He was offered (and rejected title “father of his country””
Tac. ann.
What is the emperors anxiety according to tib?
“without provincial resources to… supplement our agriculture, our woods and country houses could not feed us”
Tac. ann.
What did Tib do to grain supply after potential riots?
“reproved the officials… named the corn supplying provinces, and highlighted the larger amount of grain imported by him than by aug”
Tac. ann.
how much corn was in reserve under gaius at one time according to seneca and what did this contrast?
7-8 days supply:
“While [gaius] was building his bridges of boats and playing… we were threatened with… lack of provisions… destruction and famine and the general revolution that follows”
seneca
How did Gaius profit off food sales?
“imposed a fixed tax on all foodstuffs sold in any quarter of the city”
Suet.
Did gaius ever consider improving the grain supply?
“he constructed neither great buildings… the one exception was the harbour… to provide facilities for the grain ships from egypt”
Josephus
What made claudius a considerate emperor towards basic needs of people?
“always interested himself in the proper upkeep of the city and the arrival of grain supplies”
Suet.
how does claud show himself to be attentive to food needs?
(numismatic)
41-54 ad coin:
obv - head of claud; pont. max, tribune, vict. cmndr.
rev - Ceres holding corn and torch
What measures showed food security to be important to aug?
“took all possible steps to import grain, even during the winter insuring merchants against loss of ships in storms… offering bounty for each new transport built… shipowner, if roman was exempt from the Papian-Poppean law, if only latin acquired full citizenship; if a woman… privileges granted to mothers of 4”
Suet.
What were claud’s public works?
“not numerous but important… draining the fucine lake and building the harbour at ostia”
Suet.
Why was Claud better for food security than aug and caesar?
Aug refused to drain fucine lake, Caesar abandoned ostia harbour as impractical
Suet.
Why were people aggrivated with nero’s prorities?
- profiteered in grain (already too dear)
- Had ship from alexandria carrying wrestling sand dock during severe grain shortage
- “nero was now so universally loathed that no abuse could be found bad enough for him”
suet.
What did nero plan to do to improve grain?
“considered a scheme for extending the city walls to ostia and cutting a canal to allow ships straight to rome”
suet.
list of 3 ents under Aug?
- gladiator shows in name of
self/sons (10,000 men fought
over 5 events) - 26 beast hunts (3500 beasts
killed) - mock naval battles (3000 men +
rowers)
Res gest.
locations and scale of Augustan plays and gladiators?
“sometimes, plays were shown in all the various city districts… speaking a variety of languages, and gladiators fought… in the forum or amphitheater… circus maximus”
Suet
Aug. ents found in suetonius?
athletics in campus martius
mock naval fights
chariot racing
beast hunts
Guards patrol speech so people can’t take advantage of absence
how did Tib cut expenses and anger people?
“cut down expenses of public entertainment by lowering pay of actors and setting limit on no. glad. combats”
Suet.
