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Durham E-Theses Durham E-Theses The impact of the populace on government of the city of Rome in the fourth century A.D May, M. R. How to cite: May, M. R. (1986) The impact of the populace on government of the city of Rome in the fourth century A.D, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/6859/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Abstract of The Impact of the populace on government of the City of Rome in the Fourth Century A.D. by M. R. May The purpose of this study is to show how popular rioting and fear of popular rioting and unrest came to be such a major concern of the Prefect of the City and his subordinates during the fourth century, a period when Emperors no longer lived at Rome (and so did net have to fear for their personal safety, when Plebeians were rioting in Rome), and in the early years of which the Praetorian Guard, the only force in Rome capable of crushing popular riots by brute force, was disbanded. The first chapter deals with the status of Rome in the fourth century. It was no longer the political centre of the Empire, but it seems to have been the centre of patriotic feeling more than ever before, which is perhaps why Emperors were less harsh to the plebeians when they rioted than to provincials, and is why they took pains to help the Prefect of the City in dealing with plebeian grievances. Chapter 2 deals with the discomforts of living in Rome, and subsisting there on the one hand, and the compensations, the bread and circuses, on the other. The third chapter deals with the causes of disturbances at Rome, and how typical of the metropolises of the Empire (Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, Carthage and Constantinople) were the causes of riots, and their level of violence. Fourth century Rome is also compared to Rome in the Severan period to see how much or little it had changed. Chapter 4 concerns the short term solutions to disturbances, that is the immediate options available to and adopted by the authorities once the disturbance had started. Chapter 5 deals with the laws passed by Emperors to ensure that the people got their bread and circuses, and with other areas in which Emperors concerned themselves, such as the provision of a rudimentary health service. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. The Impact of the populace on government of the City of Rome in the Fourth Century A.D. by M. R. May A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Arts in the University of Durham March 1986 10..mi9Q6 Abbreviation s A.M. Ammianus Marcellinus (when the context is obvious even 'A.M.' is often omitted) Bu11.Arch.Comm. Bulletino della Commisione Archeologica commtmale di Roma C.A. or Coll.Avell. Collectio Avellana J. Carcopino Daily Life in Ancient Rome (1941) Carcopino Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum C.I.L. Claudian On the Sixth Consulship of Honorius VI.Cons.Hon (or Cons.Hon.VI Claudian On the Consulship of Stilicho Cons.Stil. G. Rickman The Corn Supply of Ancient Rome (1981) •Corn Supply...' C.Th. Codex Theodosianus - The Theodosian Code 'Les Distributions. D. Van Herehem Les distributions de ble et d'argent a la Plebe Romaine sous 1'Empire (1939) E.T.M. Expositio Totius Mundi 'Pastes...' A. Chastagnol Les Pastes de le Prefecture Urbaine \ Rome sous le Has Empire (1962) H.A. Historia Augusta - The Augustan History H. E. Eusebius Ecclesiastical History Hist.Arian ad Mon. Athanasius' History of the Arian Heresy addressed to the Monks I. L.C.V. Inscriptiones Latinae Christianae Veteres Jerome Ep. Jerome Epistles Libanius Or. Libanius Orations 'Life and Leisure' J.P.V.D. Balsdon Life and Leisure in Ancient Rome (1969l| L. R. E. A.H.M. Jones Later Roman Empire (1964) M.A.I. Memoires de I'Academie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres J. Matthews 'Western Aristocracies'- Western Aristocracies and the Imperial Court (1975) M.G.H. Monumenta Germaniae Historica P.U. Praefectus Urbi (The Prefect of the City) P.U.R.B.E. A. Chastagnol La Prefecture Urbaine a Rome sous le Bas-Empire (1960) 'Rome Imperiale... ' L. Homo Rome Imperiale et L'Urbanisme dans L'Antiquite (1942) Socrates H.E. Socrates' Ecclesiastical History Symm. Ep. Symmachus Epistles Symm. Rel. (or Rel.) Symmachus Relationes T.A.Ph.A. Transactions of the American Philological Association CONTENTS Page No. CHAPTER 1, Background I 1) Introduction and Sources 1 2) Rome in the Fourth Century Empire 13 CHAPTER 2. Background II: the position of the populace in Rome A. Their Housing 29 B. Their Source of Income 32 C. Their privileges 38 CHAPTER 3, Rioting in Fourth Century Rome - Causes I Introduction 43 II Causes of Public Disturbances Fourth 44 Century Rome III Causes of Public Disturbances other cities, other times a) Other Fourth Century Cities 76 b) Rome in Earlier Centuries 89 CHAPTER 4. Short-Term Solutions to Rioting 1) Introduction 96 2) Why the Prefect of the City or the Emperor 96 (when resident in Rome) bore the brunt of Plebeian Displeasure 3) Quelling Riots - when the Emperor lived 98 in Rome 4) Quelling riots in the Fourth Century - 103 Guilty Mobs 5) Quelling riots in the Fourth Century - 105 'Justified' Mobs 6) The response of the authorities to 110 'Acclamationes' in Circus or Theatre CHAPTER 5. Long-Term Solutions to Rioting I Introduction 113 II Measures to spot trouble, and prevent it, 113 or nip it in the bud III Measures to keep the people happy, so that they would not need to riot 1) Panem (and other food) 129 2) Circenses A) Circenses 147 B) Other 'Curae' of the Roman Authorities (a) Baths 155 (b) Skills and Employment 155 (c) Weights and Measures 159 (d) Natural Disasters 159 (e) Education and Health Care 160 CONCLUSION 162 Notes 164 Bibliography 189 CHAPTER 1 1) Introduction and Sources "And as I think it likely that some who live overseas and happen to read this (if anyone will) may wonder why, when• ever my narrative txirns to what was happening at Rome, he hears of nothing but public disturbances, bars and other mean things of a similar nature, I will briefly and con• cisely touch on the causes, nowhere diverging from the truth deliberately." Ammianus Marcellinus ^ XIV. 6.2. "Thus, having bowed the proud necks of the savage races, and laid down the laws, the eternal foundations and mooring ropes of liberty, the venerable city, like a wise, wealthy, and frugal parent, has given her patrimonial rights to the care of the Caesars as if to her children. And although the tribal assembly is inactive, the centuriate assembly pacified, and electoral rivalries gone now, and in their place the peace of Numa's reign is restored, yet she is accepted as mistress and queen in all the lands and on all shores, and in all places the white hairs and authority of the senators are revered, the name of the Roman People respected and honoured." 2 Ammianus Marcellinus XIV. 6. 5-6. These two passages by Ammianus Marcellinus (a Greek from Antioch who settled in Rome after a military career and who considered himself so much a Roman that he wrote his history in Latin taking up where Tacitus left off) illustrate the attitude to the city of Rome and its inhabitants held by members of the upper classes. This thesis is intended to study the public disturbances mentioned in the first pass• age and how they affected the responses of those responsible for law and order among the seven hills. The second passage is important in showing one of the factors that shaped those responses to public disturbances. The two passages indicate that one person might hold two different views of the city and its people and it would seem worthwhile therefore to consider the reliability of Ammianus and other primary sources for the fourth century A.D. that cover events in Rome. Ammianus Marcellinus served in the Roman Army as a 'Protector', a sort of officer cadet attached to the staff of a general or of the Enperor himself (in Aimnianus' case it was a leading general called Ursicinus) . 'Protectors' came from two areas. On the one hand there were the non-commissioned officers who had risen from the ranks, and on the other there were those people who had bought themselves into the Army at that level; Ammianus would have been one of the latter. Retiring from the Army at this rank Ammianus would have been of fairly high rank in Imperial society, and he would have had contacts afCourt. However, in the fourth century the Imperial court and senatorial society were not very close (although of course high imperial officials would tend to achieve senatorial rank) and it is not certain that Ammianus had close connections with leading senatorial circles when he settled at Rome.
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