POLITICAL STRUCTURE
Pompeii Difficile est
• When asked to assist in the election of a
friend’s son to the position of Decurion Cicero
replied
• “At Rome he will have it if he wishes; it is
difficult at Pompeii”.
• This suggests the extreme level of
competition for political positions in Pompeii.
This is equally supported by over 2,000
pieces of electoral graffiti or programmata
• Knowledge of Pompeii's political organisation
comes from the archaeological sources such as the
election slogans on the walls of the private and
public buildings, inscriptions on memorial statues
and the remains of the buildings themselves
• Graffiti suffers from problems of reliability in that it
gives us no indication of the relative popularity or
success of the candidates.
• Given 30% is unexcavated and 60% in
Herculaneum there are substantial gaps in our
evidence.
• At the time of the so called Social Wars 91-88
BC, Pompeii and Herculaneum were made
municipiums, provincial towns dependent on
Rome, and their inhabitants became Roman
citizens. Around 80BC, Latin becomes the
official language and the town constitutions
Romanized. Such constitutions tended to
follow a broadly uniform pattern, with relatively
minor variations to meet local conditions.
• The structure was uniformly outlined in
Caesar’s Lex Julia Municipalis ( 45BC )
• Political life at Pompeii and Herculaneum was
dominated by the patronage of poorer citizens
and of particular social and business groups by
members of a powerful elite
• The title of Patron of the colony was awarded to
a distinguished individual by the Town Council
as a mark of honour. They would represent the
town in any dealings with Rome.
Praefectus
Emergency magistracy, an example was after the earthquake of 62AD when C
Cuspius Pansa was appointed to deal with the emergancy
Duumviri x 2
Elected every 12 months, they were responsible for the administration of
justice, public money and the presiding over council meetings. They gave
their name to the year. They were also expected to provide public spectacles
and could be elected more than once
Quinquinelles x 4
In the 5th year those who held the magistracies of duumvir and Aedile(4) were
given censorial powers to revise the citizen lists and the town council roll.
Aediles x2
Elected yearly,, they supervised the markets, took care of the Temples and
streets, provided public games at their own cost and granted permits to erect
altars. They were assisted by a staff of attendants.
Town Council
Curia or ordo decurions was a body of about 80-100 men chosen by the census of those
men who were wealthy and influential. They were not elected.
Appointed for life,they met in the Curia building next to the Basilica
Commitium
Met annually to elect officials but otherwise played no role in the running of the town.
Voted in tribes, it is debated as to where this took place.
Citizens over the age of 25,
DUUMVIRS-SENIOR MAGISTRATES
EQUIVALENT OF CONSULS
• Each year in March, elections were held . To qualify, they had to
have held the position of Aedile already, usually tree to five years
earlier.
• They presided over meetings of the council and were in charge of
fulfilling decrees passed by the council.
• Important members of the elite might be elected duumvir more
than once
Marcus Holconius Rufus
inscription on his honorific monument
Reflects
importance of
Pater
• “ To Marcus Holconius Rufus, son of Marcus, military
tribune by popular demand, duumvir with judicial power
five times, quinquinniel twice, priest of Augustus Caesar,
and patron of the colony”
Priesthoods a political
magistracy, visible support of
Rome
Political expression of
elite status
Marcus Nonius Balbus
• To Marcus Nonius Balbus, son of Marcus, of the voting
tribe Menenia, praetor with proconsular power,
patron, by order of the entire town council of
Herculaneum, on account of his merits [set it up]
Roman Senator and patron
of Herculaneum
Citizens voted in
tribes
Majority vote of town
council
Judicial Power
• “I ask you to elect Claudius Veres
duumvir with judicial power, an
honest young man.”
Aedile- programmataq
“I ask that you elect Gaius Gavius Rufus aedile; it is
I, Granius, who asks this.”
“Valens, elect Popidius Ampliatus aedile, and that man
will do the same for you,”
“I ask you to elect Gaius Julius Polybius aedile. He gets good
bread.”
“I ask you to elect Aulus Vettius Firmus aedile. He is worthy of the
municipality. I ask you to elect him, ballplayers. Elect him! “
TOWN COUNCIL-Ordo Decurion
equivalent to the Senate of Rome
• Members of the Town Council were all free
born male citizens, over the age of 25. (
actors, gladiators were an exception).
• A minimum level of property was required
and councillors had to live in the town or its
immediate surroundings.
• Membership was for life.
• The Council as a whole controlled finance,
public religion, and the granting of honorific
tombs and statues.. They were also
responsible for public buildings and the
implementation of standard weights and
measures.
DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS
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The Comitium, in the corner between the Forum and Via
dell'Abbondanza, served as a polling station where the
electorate (men only) would go during elections with their
tesserula, a sort of polling card attesting to the voter's
identity.
Voters were required to write down the name of the chosen
candidate on a waxed tablet which was then placed in the
ballot box. The candidates that had attained the relative
majority of votes in the most electoral constituencies would
be elected.
For instance, a candidate would not be elected if he got the
maximum votes in just a few constituencies and no votes at
all in the others. In the event of a tied vote, the winner would
be chosen on the basis of whether he was married and how
many children he had.
The whole town took a keen interest in the election
campaign, as can be seen from the many inscriptions found
on the walls.
Every category of workers, traders and businessmen had a
steadfast commitment for taking part as well as a strong
sense of civic responsibility to ensure that the worthiest
candidates were elected
• The town's life and activity
was run from three
Municipal Buildings found
in the southern part of the
Forum, while the
administration of justice
was carried out by the
Duumviri in the Basilica.
• Although women did not have the right to vote,
they nevertheless played a crucial role given
that they had a number of influential contacts
through their work or social acquaintances.
"Vote for Lucius Popidius Sabinus; his
grandmother worked hard for his last election.”
• "Vote for Lucius Popidius Sabinus; his
grandmother worked hard for his last
election
and is pleased with the results."(17)
COLLEGIA???
• Political:
"The goldsmiths unanimously urge the
election
of Gaius Cuspius Pansa as aedile..."(14).