CLA233H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter Week 12: Manumission, Praetor, Saint Kilian
Document Summary
Early rome, only holidays were religious festivals. Purpose of festivals were to win the support of gods and spirits who controlled the weather, crop growth, animal breeding. Cicero says the roman people made their will known in 3 places: public meatings, popular voting assemblies, spectacles (ludi and gladiatorial fights, where they are most honest. Politicians wanted to buy votes by putting on ludis. Shelton 377: suetonius, the lives of the caesars: julius caesar 10. Caesar concerned other politicians with how much he was spending and earning favour + the number of gladiators terrified them: his enemies passed legislation restricting the number of gladiators everyone was allowed to keep. Emperor tiberius transferred the election of magistrates from popular assemblies to the senate so most politicians no longer had reason to gain the favour of the masses by arranging public spectacles. Emperors like nero (ad 54-68) could afford it and still entertained as a political plot.
