Mamia P.f. erected temple of Augusted next to the Eumachia in the forum. Her tomb near the Herculaneum gate is very impressive. Inscribed on the seat is "To Mamia, daughter of Publius Mamius, City Priestess. Gravesite given by decree of the Town Council"
'(Make) C. Lollius Fuscus duumvir for looking after the roads (and) the sacred (and) public buildings. Asellina's (girls?) ask you, not without Zmyrina.'
From Asellina's Caupona
Duumviri
These two leading magistrates were elected annually in July and served for one year. They were the senior magistrates who presided over the council and executed its decisions. They also handled local law cases such as misuse of public funds, robberies and murder, and they administered the census each five years (these duuviri were called the quinquennales) after which they named new members of the council to replace vacancies caused by death or expulsion. During their year of office the duuviri wore a purple-bordered toga as a mark of their status. They also had two assistants called lictores who carried the symbols of their office, the fasces or bundles of rods. |
Aediles
Were lower in rank than the Duumviri. Like the Duuviri these two magistrates were elected by the people's assembly from a census of men of honour and wealth. Their role was the administration of sacred and public buildings, the maintenance of roads and sewage systems, the regulation of markets and the maintenance of public order. During their year of office they were also expected to provide spectacles for the people and since this entailed some personal expense, there were only a few men with the wealth required to meet this expectation. |
'To Aulus Umbricius Scaurus, son of Aulus, tribe Menenia, Duovir of the Colony. The Decuriones voted him a site for his monument, 2000 sesterces for the funeral, and an equestrian statue to be erected in the Forum. Scaurus the Father dedicated this to his son.'
- inscription from Pompeii
James Franklin has mapped out the participation in politics in Pompeii. He found that certain families enjoyed political prominence for generations for example the Holconii and the Lucretii. They had long term ownership of the properties in Pompeii as well as rural estates. He also found that some families that had been prominent suddenly disappeared out of political activities perhaps after the earthquake of 62AD. He does not however, interpret the evidence as Maiuri and Penelope Allison do. He does not support the theory that Pompeii was undergoing social decline during the late 1st century.
He has also investigated the extent of social mobility in Pompeii and has traced some families from slaves to freedmen to wealthy political citizens. He also discovered from the epigraphic evidence that some freedmen supported their sons as politicians. |
How useful are the private buildings in Pompeii and Herculaneum in providing evidence about the economy? Support your response using evidence from Source A and other relevant sources. 5 marks. 2019 HSC Examination
‘To the memory of Aulus Umbricius Scaurus son of Aulus, of the tribe Menenia, duumvir with judiciary authority. The city council voted the place for a monument to this man and two thousand sesterces toward the cost of the funeral; They voted also that an equestrian statue in his honour should be set up in the Forum. Scaurus the father to the memory of his son.’
- inscription on Scaurus' tomb
" Above these places lies Mt Vesuvius which, save for its summit, has dwellings around pm farmlands that are beautiful. As for the summit, a considerable part of its is flat but all of it is unfruitful....and hence one might infer that in earlier times this district was on fire.... Perhaps too this is the cause of the fruitfulness of the country all around the mountain..." -Strabo (died AD 19)
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- “a confused jumble of shops, workshops, crafts, residential and horticultural plots and houses across the whole city, with no real attempt at commercial segregation or concentration beyond the tendency of shops to line the main roads and horticulture to cluster on the margins” A. Wallace- Hadrill
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'Auctus of the Julian school has won fifty times. Nobilior was victorious eleven times and Bebrix fifteen times. Celadus, glory of the girls, heart-throb of the girls.' - Inscription
"C. Lollius Fuscus duumvir for looking after the roads (and) the sacred (and) public buildings. Asellina's (girls?) ask you, not without Zmyrina."
Assess the value and limitations of sources as evidence about religion in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Support your response using Sources C and D and other relevant sources. 12 Marks, 2019 HSC Examination
- 'To Marcus Obellius Firmus, son of Marcus, aedile, duumvir with judicial power. The town councillors decreed him a burial place and 5 000 sesterces for his funeral; the inhabitants of the country district decreed him 30 pounds of frankincense, and a shield, and their attendants 1000 sesterces for perfumes and a shield.'
- 'To Gnaius Alleius Eros, freedman of Maius, appointed as Augustalia, free of charge, to whom Augustales and inhabitants of the country district decreed 1000 sesterces for his funeral rites. Lived 22 years.'
- 'Helle, slave girl, lived 4 years'.