Power and Privilege in Roman Society (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781107149793)

How far were appointments in the Roman Empire based on merit? Did experience matter? What difference did social rank make? This innovative study of the Principate examines the career outcomes of senators and knights by social category. Contrasting patterns emerge from a new database of senatorial careers. Although the highest appointments could reflect experience, a clear preference for the more aristocratic senators is also seen. Bias is visible even in the major army commands and in the most senior civilian posts nominally filled by ballot. In equestrian appointments, successes by the less experienced again suggest the power of social advantage. Senatorial recruitment gradually opened up to include many provincials but Italians still kept their hold on the higher social groupings. The book also considers the senatorial career more widely, while a final section examines slave careers and the phenomenon of voluntary slavery.

Author: Richard Duncan-Jones
ISBN-10: 1107149797
ISBN-13: 9781107149793
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 08/24/2016
Pages: 242
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.19lbs
Size: 9.54h x 6.18w x 0.76d