Rome and Its Politics

The vast majority of families living in the empire were still engaged in agricultural work. The emperors tried to keep these poor masses quiet and peaceful with free grain and free games, which the poor gobbled up readily. Despite the public assistance, life was hard at the bottom of the ladder. Even members of the better off equestrian class often found themselves running a persistent household budget deficit just to stay float. These gaping financial holes had to be filled by someone. To day importers, wholesalers, retailers, bankers, cooks, innkeepers, masons, druggists, potters, tanners, jewellers, teachers and actors all lived side by side and wheel and