WHO IS A WEALTHY MAN IN THE ANCIENT ROMAN SOCIETY? A wealthy man in the Ancient Roman Society is first a citizen and such person had everything at his disposal. He lives a comfortable life, he is a member of the ruling class and enjoy maximum rights and privileges. For wealthy Romans, life was good. They lived in beautiful houses – often on the hills outside Rome, away from the noise and the smell. They enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle with luxurious furnishings, surrounded by servants and slaves to cater to their every desire. Many would hold exclusive dinner parties and serve their guests the exotic dishes of the day. For someone to be considered or called a wealthy man, such person must have materials wealth that are visible as that is the only criteria to determine a wealthy person. There are quite a number of ways one can acquire wealth, through loots from war, inheritance etc. And such a man must use his wealthy for the good of the society in that he must be ready and able to support the society in everything through his wealth.
As regards to wealth, the census divided citizens into six complex classes based on their property, which determine the kind of position and honour such receives from the society. The richest were the senatorial class , who during the Late Republic had to be worth at least 400,000 sestertii , the same as the equites; when Augustus reformed the senate during the first years of the Principate , he raised the property requirement to 1,000,0000 sestertii .[7] The wealth of the senatorial class was based on ownership of large agricultural estates, and by custom members did not engage in commercial activity. Below the senatores in rank, but above others were the equites (“equestrians” or “knights”), with 400,000 sestertii , who could engage in commerce and formed an influential business class. Certain political and quasi-political positions were filled by equites, including tax farming and, under the Principate, leadership of the Praetorian Guard . Below the equites were three more classes of property-owning citizens; and lastly the proletarii. Their wealth allowed them to indulge their appetites for the finest servants, chefs, and resident philosophers, food and wine, home libraries, jewelry, entertainers, and bathing pools. And they were willing to pay for beauty, such as architecture, often derived from structures in Greece or other countries they ruled.
The status of freeborn Romans during the Republic was established by: ancestry (patrician or plebeian); census rank (ordo ) based on wealth and political privilege, with the senatorial and equestrian ranks elevated above the ordinary citizen; attainment of honors (the novus homo or self-made man established his family as nobilis (“noble”) and thus there were noble plebeians ); and citizenship, of which there were grades with varying rights and privileges. Senatorial class (senatores ): The basis for this class was political . It included all men who served in the Senate, and by extension their families. This class was dominated by the nobles (nobiles ), families whose ancestors included at least one consul (earlier the qualification had been a curule magistracy, i.e. curule aedile and up). The first man in his family to be elected consul, thus qualifying his family for noble status, was called a “new man” (novus homo), although this term was used in varying senses—it could refer to an equesterian who was the first in his family to be elected to political office and thus join the senatorial class, or to a man from the senatorial class who was the first in his family to be elected consul and thus join the
nobles, or most dramatically to an equestrian like Cicero who was elected consul. Senators had to prove that they had property worth at least 1,000,000 sesterces; there was no salary attached to service in the Senate, and senators were prohibited from engaging personally in nonagricultural business, trade or public contracts. Men of the senatorial class wore the tunic with broad stripes (laticlavi ). Equestrian class (equites): The basis for this class was economic . A man could be formally enrolled in the equestrian order if he could prove that he possessed a stable minimum amount of wealth (property worth at least 400,000 sesterces); by extension his family members were also considered equestrians. However, if an equestrian was elected to a magistracy and entered the Senate, he moved up to the senatorial class; this was not particularly easy or frequent. Equestrians were primarily involved in the types of business prohibited to senators. Equestrians wore the tunic with narrow stripes (angusti clavi ).
WHO IS A WEALTHY MAN IN THE CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, AND WHAT DIFFERENTIATES HIM FROM THAT OF THE ROMAN? Adam Smith, in his seminar work, The Wealth of Nations, described wealth as the annual produce of the land and labour of the society. This produce is, at its simplest, that which satisfies human needs and wants of utility. In popular usage, wealth can be described as an abundance of items of economic value, or the state of controlling or possessing such items, usually in the form of money, real estate and personal property. An individual, in the contemporary society, who is considered wealthy, affluent, or rich, is someone who has accumulated substantial wealth relative to others in their society or reference group. The major difference between the wealthy in the Ancient Roman society and the contemporary one is selfishness and selflessness. The Romans, owing to the fact that there was nothing like introspection, had to display their wealth and not shy away from great responsibilities so as to be recognized and reckoned with in the society. And the wealthy, in the contemporary society are selfish. All they think about is how to amass wealth. They do not engage in activities without ulterior motives. They never give to lose; they give to gain even more than they must have given out. According to Collins English Dictionary, a noble is a person who is worthy to be admired and respected because they are not selfish and morally good.
But, in the Ancient Roman society, a noble was not just a noble because of the earlier definition given. A noble is one that must have strived for wits, fight for precedence, toil endlessly- night and day, mount the pinnacles of riches and lay hold on power. A noble is one who has an obligation to live up to the image of him, projected by the revered men of his family; his father, uncles and relatives in general. Life was indeed an uphill struggle for members of the nobility. One of the activities that consume the energy of a noble is politics. Political activity has to do with a series of career move; private life was a pause that is to restore one’s strength, rest one’s spirit, rebuild one’s fortune and win more friends at sumptuous banquets. The more illustrious were a noble’s ancestors, the harder was the task, for he had to achieve a greater height, or at least prove himself to be their equal, he should never
be below. There was no other way to acquire nobility than through participating in public affairs, and by rising to the superior magistracies known as honores. Those known as noblemen belonged to the hundred or so families who possessed the necessary wealth to have their sons enrolled in the equestrian class. Thereafter it was up to the sons to reach positions that would enable them to become senators. Generally, therefore, noblemen would come from a senatorial family, and they were expected to become senators in their turn. If, due to idleness or inability, a nobleman failed to rise to the honores disgrace would fall not just on him but his family inclusive, which would be seen as having lost one of its members. Therefore, from childhood, the sons of the most distinguished families were schooled for a life of competition in which they had to prove ceaselessly that they were the best, the optimate class. Another noticeable obligation of the noble is that he has to serve in the staff headquarters either of a close relative, family or one of his father’s friends. Here, would be under the close watch of the soldiers and also, the general. His capacity for obedience, ability to withstand not only fatigue, hunger and thirst, cold, fear but also, the seduction of luxury, foreign women and drunkenness of victory. Everyone also had to watch to see if this young man would fall prey to the temptation besetting all triumphant warriors; to buy their fear of death and enemy in an orgy of pillage and gratuitous cruelty. If he succumbs to these temptations, he is seen as mediocre.
WAS IT JUST WEALTH THAT MAKES A MAN NOBLE? It was not just wealth that makes a man noble. Aside the fact that a noble has to come from a wealthy family, personally, he has many feats to attain. Other things that makes a man noble has been expressly discussed in one of the earlier topics, moreover, we will still stress it that a noble has to be courageous because he had to either surpass his ancestors, or at least, be their equal. If he failed in this, he brings shame not only on himself but to his family too.
References: Florence Dupont, 1994: Daily Life in Ancient Rome www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/social_structure_01.shtml Dr. Valerie Hope, 2011: Social Perking Order in the Roman World Adam Smith: The Wealth of Nations
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ReplyDeleteWHO IS A WEALTHY MAN IN THE ANCIENT ROMAN SOCIETY?
ReplyDeleteA wealthy man in the Ancient Roman Society is first a citizen and such person had everything at his disposal. He lives a comfortable life, he is a member of the ruling class and enjoy maximum rights and privileges. For wealthy Romans, life was good. They lived in beautiful houses – often on the hills outside Rome, away from the noise and the smell. They enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle with luxurious furnishings, surrounded by servants and slaves to cater to their every desire. Many would hold exclusive dinner parties and serve their guests the exotic dishes of the day.
For someone to be considered or called a wealthy man, such person must have materials wealth that are visible as that is the only criteria to determine a wealthy person. There are quite a number of ways one can acquire wealth, through loots from war, inheritance etc. And such a man must use his wealthy for the good of the society in that he must be ready and able to support the society in everything through his wealth.
As regards to wealth, the census divided citizens into six complex classes based on their property, which determine the kind of position and honour such receives from the society. The richest were the senatorial class , who during the Late Republic had to be worth at least 400,000 sestertii , the same as the equites; when Augustus reformed the senate during the first years of the Principate , he raised the property requirement to 1,000,0000 sestertii .[7] The wealth of the senatorial class was based on ownership of large agricultural estates, and by custom members did not engage in commercial activity.
ReplyDeleteBelow the senatores in rank, but above others were the equites (“equestrians” or “knights”), with 400,000 sestertii , who could engage in commerce and formed an influential business class. Certain political and quasi-political positions were filled by equites, including tax farming and, under the Principate, leadership of the Praetorian Guard . Below the equites were three more classes of property-owning citizens; and lastly the proletarii. Their wealth allowed them to indulge their appetites for the finest servants, chefs, and resident philosophers, food and wine, home libraries, jewelry, entertainers, and bathing pools. And they were willing to pay for beauty, such as architecture, often derived from structures in Greece or other countries they ruled.
The status of freeborn Romans during the Republic was established by:
ancestry (patrician or plebeian); census rank (ordo ) based on wealth and political privilege, with the senatorial and equestrian ranks elevated above the ordinary citizen;
attainment of honors (the novus homo or self-made man established his family as nobilis (“noble”) and thus there were noble plebeians ); and citizenship, of which there were grades with varying rights and privileges.
Senatorial class (senatores ): The basis for this class was political . It included all men who served in the Senate, and by extension their families. This class was dominated by the nobles (nobiles ), families whose ancestors included at least one consul (earlier the qualification had been a curule magistracy, i.e. curule aedile and up). The first man in his family to be elected consul, thus qualifying his family for noble status, was called a “new man” (novus homo), although this term was used in varying senses—it could refer to an equesterian who was the first in his family to be elected to political office and thus join the senatorial class, or to a man from the senatorial class who was the first in his family to be elected consul and thus join the
nobles, or most dramatically to an equestrian like Cicero who was elected consul. Senators had to prove that they had property worth at least 1,000,000 sesterces; there was no salary attached to service in the Senate, and senators were prohibited from engaging personally in nonagricultural business, trade or public contracts. Men of the senatorial class wore the tunic with broad stripes (laticlavi ).
ReplyDeleteEquestrian class (equites): The basis for this class was economic . A man could be formally enrolled in the equestrian order if he could prove that he possessed a stable minimum amount of wealth (property worth at least 400,000 sesterces); by extension his family members were also considered equestrians. However, if an equestrian was elected to a magistracy and entered the Senate, he moved up to the senatorial class; this was not particularly easy or frequent. Equestrians were primarily involved in the types of business prohibited to senators. Equestrians wore the tunic with narrow stripes (angusti clavi ).
ReplyDeleteWHO IS A WEALTHY MAN IN THE CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, AND WHAT DIFFERENTIATES HIM FROM THAT OF THE ROMAN?
Adam Smith, in his seminar work, The Wealth of Nations, described wealth as the annual produce of the land and labour of the society. This produce is, at its simplest, that which satisfies human needs and wants of utility. In popular usage, wealth can be described as an abundance of items of economic value, or the state of controlling or possessing such items, usually in the form of money, real estate and personal property. An individual, in the contemporary society, who is considered wealthy, affluent, or rich, is someone who has accumulated substantial wealth relative to others in their society or reference group.
The major difference between the wealthy in the Ancient Roman society and the contemporary one is selfishness and selflessness. The Romans, owing to the fact that there was nothing like introspection, had to display their wealth and not shy away from great responsibilities so as to be recognized and reckoned with in the society. And the wealthy, in the contemporary society are selfish. All they think about is how to amass wealth. They do not engage in activities without ulterior motives. They never give to lose; they give to gain even more than they must have given out.
According to Collins English Dictionary, a noble is a person who is worthy to be admired and respected because they are not selfish and morally good.
But, in the Ancient Roman society, a noble was not just a noble because of the earlier definition given. A noble is one that must have strived for wits, fight for precedence, toil endlessly- night and day, mount the pinnacles of riches and lay hold on power.
ReplyDeleteA noble is one who has an obligation to live up to the image of him, projected by the revered men of his family; his father, uncles and relatives in general. Life was indeed an uphill struggle for members of the nobility.
One of the activities that consume the energy of a noble is politics. Political activity has to do with a series of career move; private life was a pause that is to restore one’s strength, rest one’s spirit, rebuild one’s fortune and win more friends at sumptuous banquets. The more illustrious were a noble’s ancestors, the harder was the task, for he had to achieve a greater height, or at least prove himself to be their equal, he should never
be below.
ReplyDeleteThere was no other way to acquire nobility than through participating in public affairs, and by rising to the superior magistracies known as honores.
Those known as noblemen belonged to the hundred or so families who possessed the necessary wealth to have their sons enrolled in the equestrian class. Thereafter it was up to the sons to reach positions that would enable them to become senators.
Generally, therefore, noblemen would come from a senatorial family, and they were expected to become senators in their turn. If, due to idleness or inability, a nobleman failed to rise to the honores disgrace would fall not just on him but his family inclusive, which would be seen as having lost one of its members. Therefore, from childhood, the sons of the most distinguished families were schooled for a life of competition in which they had to prove ceaselessly that they were the best, the optimate class.
Another noticeable obligation of the noble is that he has to serve in the staff headquarters either of a close relative, family or one of his father’s friends. Here, would be under the close watch of the soldiers and also, the general. His capacity for obedience, ability to withstand not only fatigue, hunger and thirst, cold, fear but also, the seduction of luxury, foreign women and drunkenness of victory. Everyone also had to watch to see if this young man would fall prey to the temptation besetting all triumphant warriors; to buy their fear of death and enemy in an orgy of pillage and gratuitous cruelty. If he succumbs to these temptations, he is seen as mediocre.
WAS IT JUST WEALTH THAT MAKES A MAN NOBLE?
ReplyDeleteIt was not just wealth that makes a man noble. Aside the fact that a noble has to come from a wealthy family, personally, he has many feats to attain. Other things that makes a man noble has been expressly discussed in one of the earlier topics, moreover, we will still stress it that a noble has to be courageous because he had to either surpass his ancestors, or at least, be their equal. If he failed in this, he brings shame not only on himself but to his family too.
References:
Florence Dupont, 1994: Daily Life in Ancient Rome
www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/social_structure_01.shtml
Dr. Valerie Hope, 2011: Social Perking Order in the Roman World
Adam Smith: The Wealth of Nations
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/wealth
ReplyDeleteOgendegbe's work is commendable. However, it is lacking in references. Provide references. Take a cue from Damilola Ologe's work.
ReplyDelete