Money and Power in the Roman Republic

Rome's transformation from a regional force in Latium into a
Mediterranean superpower (4th to 1st centuries BCE) was accompanied by
an accelerated change of economic realities. The persistent influx of
vast natural and monetary resources from abroad deeply altered the basis
of Rome's military. As income skyrocketed, the exercise of political
influence at Rome became increasingly intertwined with issues of
personal finance. Despite claims for frugality, the political power of
senatorial families was always determined through the accumulation of
wealth. By the 1st century BCE, the competition of these families for
rank and recognition was dramatically wrapped up with access to monetary
capital and economic resources. When the republic finally fell, this was
also due to a financial crash that hit the very centre of Roman society.
Examining monetary and financial assets, this volume discloses how
economic power and 'real' capital augmented the nature of aristocratic
power at Rome. Papers are grouped in three topical clusters: Currencies
of Power, Money and State Action, Wealth and Status.