Plebs and Politics in the Late Roman Republic [Paperback]

Examines the role of the people in the running of the Roman state.This book deals with popular political participation in republican Rome. It contributes to an ongoing debate about the role of the people in the running of the Roman state, asking whether they had any real say or had been marginalised by the elite. It approaches the issue from a practical perspective, looking at the way political meetings and assemblies functioned and at the crowds which took part. The book thus puts the current discussion about Roman 'democracy' on a new footing, and places it in a social context.This book deals with popular political participation in republican Rome. It contributes to an ongoing debate about the role of the people in the running of the Roman state, asking whether they had any real say or had been marginalised by the elite. It approaches the issue from a practical perspective, looking at the way political meetings and assemblies functioned and at the crowds which took part. The book thus puts the current discussion about Roman 'democracy' on a new footing, and places it in a social context.This book deals with popular political participation in republican Rome. It contributes to an ongoing debate about the role of the people in the running of the Roman state, asking whether they had any real say or had been marginalized by the elite. It approaches the issue from a practical perspective, looking at the way political meetings and assemblies functioned and at the crowds that took part. The book thus puts the current discussion about Roman democracy on a new footing, and places it in a social context.Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction: ideology and practice in Roman politics; 2. The scale of late republican politics; 3. The contio; 4. Legislative assemblies; 5. Elections; 6. Plebs and politics; Appendix: the 'Lex Licinia de sodalitatibus'; Bibliography; Index. This book offers a fresh review of the evidence regarding the voting power of the populus Romanus in legislativl³!