It has been projected that between 10,000-20,000 people living in Pompeii at time of the eruption.
Hierarchical structure:
Upper strata (citizens: Cives):
Senatorial order
Equestrian orders
Rich freedmen
Senators:
Property qualifications: 1,000,000 sesterces
Served emperor in offices throughout the empire
Gained wealth from large estates
Position was hereditary.
Equestrians: (Equites)
Provincial Elite Property qualifications: 400,000 sesterces
Served emperor in important posts, e.g. military leadership
Gained wealth from public office/trade/banking
Position was not hereditary.
Freedmen:
Were previously slaves given freedom by various means
Gained wealth from trade/wealth/banking/manufacturing/land ownership
Excluded from becoming senators, but could become equestrians.
Lower strata:
Poor free-born citizens
Slaves (Servi) About 40% of population were though to be slaves.
Poor freedmen/poor freeborns who had no power/money. Could be lawyers, doctors, teachers, engineers, etc.; shows that the Romans did not think highly of these positions
Freedmen (Liberti)
Slaves: performed mostly agricultural and manufacturing work. Also served upper class in their homes. Were often from a foreign country defeated in war, or free citizens who sold themselves to pay debts.
Women:
Typical role was to perform tasks such as running the household, bringing up children and controlling finances. Women in Pompeii appear to have had as much freedom as women in Rome.
Although could not vote, could make public declarations supporting a particular candidate in an election; this shows that women had a part in public life.
Occupations: tavern owners, working in bakeries, household servants, cooks, cleaners, wet nurses and prostitutes.
Pompeii was a place where “women could own property, do business, pay for construction, hold honorific and cultic office, and go about in public.”
Eumachia:
An inscription from the first century AD tells us that ‘ the vestibule, the covered gallery and porticoes made with her own money and dedicated in her own name and the name of her son Marcus Numistrius Fronto, in honor of the goddess CoNCORD & Augustan Piety.
The inscription indicated that Eumachia was using her building program as a means of bolstering (to support) her son’s political candidature. Here we have a example of a rich woman who had an important public role in the priesthood of Venus, using her wealth and social status for political purposes.
The statue of Eumachia found in the collegium building of the fullers, Pompeii. She wears a tunic and stola. The long palla draped over her head represents her respectability and role as a priestess. Inscription under statue: to Eumachia, daughter of Lucius, public priestess: the fullers (set this up).
We know from the information on Eumachia that the priestess was held in high esteem in Roman society.
Patron – client Relationship:
Families and individuals within the upper strata also acted as patrons to those lower in the social order.
It was the responsibility of the client to support his patron at political elections and do any favors that might be required. In return, the patron might assist his client in legal matter or give him a small gift or a free meal.
It was a feature of Roman life that each morning, clients would flock to their patron’s house to pay their respects (salutio).
By the first century AD tradition required that virtually every man of wealth and high status maintain clients who were prepared to serve him all hours of the day.
The client was expected to arrive at the patron’s house for the morning salutio and in return will receive the sportula (food, clothing, money and other favours). He also had to accompany his patron to the forum, support his political goals and vote for him.
Clients were generally plebeians ( common people, low in wealth and status) the poor citizens of low birth and former slaves. However , some plebeians acquired wealth through trade and became patrons in their own rights.
The patron- client relationship between patricians and plebeian classes was important to the Roman way of life because each needed the other.
No comments:
Post a Comment