After Rome entered the * * * and the last period, the extravagant style of aristocratic banquets has reached an uncontrollable situation. However, during this period, what was the life and diet of other people in Rome?
the upper classes of the common people have colluded with the nobles, forming the so-called? Upstart? They seek personal interests, buy votes and lead a corrupt and luxurious life. However, the life of the lower class civilians is constantly impoverished. In order to find a way out of life, they flocked to Rome and received government relief. 1. Providing food relief to the common people in Rome, which is also known as the food rationing system, is one of the important tasks of successive Roman rulers in governing the country.
This system originally originated in 123 BC and was signed by the then consul. Gragu began to implement, that is, to subsidize every citizen of Rome to buy grain. Of course, his target is not all residents, but Roman citizens who have strict restrictions on age, gender, residence right and origin. Therefore, the number of beneficiaries is not large.
when I arrived in Sura, this supply system was abolished for various reasons, but it was quickly restored later. In 58 BC, in order to further win the favor of the people, Clodius passed a decree to double this fee and provide it free of charge every month? Every citizen gets 5 buckets of grain for free every month? This amount is enough for two people to survive, but it is not enough for three people to live. This law benefited about 4, citizens of Rome. Second, during the imperial period, the emperor became the protector of the whole Rome, so he assumed the important function of providing food to the citizens of the whole city.
Augustus once set up a special food officer in Rome to be responsible for food distribution. In addition, Augustus also held various private activities to please his people. He calls himself,? He held four entertainment activities in his own name and 23 for other officials who were not in Rome or had insufficient property. ?
Often, while holding activities, emperors even give various gifts and valuable prizes. Nero was once during the performance. Throw all kinds of gifts at the people every day: 1 different kinds of birds every day, all kinds of food, grain, clothes, gold, precious stones, pearls, paintings, slaves, draught animals, even tame beasts, and finally ships, houses and farmland. ?
Of course, the rulers are so generous for their own political purposes. As Montesquieu wrote in On the Causes of the Rise and Fall of Rome:? Senior officials who desperately pursue senior positions do not hesitate to use all kinds of despicable tricks; But all this is covered by a magnificent appearance, because they hold entertainment or banquets for the people, or give them money and food: although the motives are despicable, there is always something noble in the means, because big people should always use generous gifts to win the people's favor. ? At the same time, many provinces have been forced to supply Rome with food such as wheat, meat and olive oil for hundreds of years
Among them, Egypt and Africa are the most indispensable ones for Rome. After the decline of agriculture in Sicily, they almost became part of the Roman Empire? Granary? . We can see that the Romans enjoyed special treatment under this system, but the provincial people were burdened with heavy burdens and pressures.
Of course, through the analysis, we can understand that the Roman Empire's food rationing system did feed a group of people, but for all civilians, the number of people with Roman citizenship was not much, so the beneficiaries were controlled within a certain range. Because the people who enjoy citizenship recognized by Roman law are limited to adult men, women, children and slaves do not enjoy civil rights. Therefore, we can fully imagine that it is difficult for a citizen's food provided by the government to feed his family. However, we can also learn about those generous nobles through some materials? Protectors of civilians, or ambitious aristocratic officials, will also give extra food or food to civilians
Many elders and nobles use their own or government funds to please those civilians who have the right to vote. In this way, they cultivate their own political power. In order to support themselves and their families, civilians will also be willing to exchange their votes for food. Many civilians set out from their homes early in the morning to greet and pay tribute to their protectors. At this time, the protector will give a considerable amount of food or other gifts to the civilians, and usually invite him to a family dinner in the evening. These donated foods are either taken home for breakfast soon, and the rest are taken to the street for sale or exchanged for other items that are more urgently needed.
Of course, some civilians were not invited to the aristocratic family dinner. In this case, he can only continue to visit his other protectors until someone invites him to a banquet. Usually, many people are invited to attend the banquet of the nobility. At the banquet, they also enjoyed the food as much as the nobles. Many times, in order to take care of their families, they will take some leftover food home. However, even so, there are still some poor civilians who live a hard life because of insufficient food. 5. In some areas, people don't have enough food to eat, and beans have become the main food. People who eat bark, leaves, twigs and roots are all < P > In the family menu of ordinary people, there are basically no foods containing protein and fat such as fish, meat and oil, and sometimes even salt is not available. ? The basic diet of the poor may be a little rough bread, swallowed with tap water just picked from the public spring and attracted by the urban diversion bridge, and perhaps a little bit of beans and inferior wine. ? Especially in the late imperial period, the life of civilians was even more difficult, lacking clothes and food, and fell into extreme poverty.
As we all know, the prosperity of Rome and the Republic of China was based on the labor of tens of millions of slaves. Slave labor is inseparable from all fields of production in the empire. Frank pointed out in the Economic History of Rome: The study of all inscriptions shows that slaves and freed slaves dominated the industry in the imperial period? About 15-2% of workers in industry are free men, while 8-85% are slaves and released slaves. ? However, although slaves made great contributions to the development of the empire and created rare miracles, they themselves were only regarded as? Talking tools? So their diet depends entirely on the attitude of the slave owners.
Of course, in most cases, in order to improve the enthusiasm of slaves for productive labor, slave owners usually try their best to meet the daily needs of slaves, and the amount of food they distribute to slaves is basically appropriate. Slave food is called? Cibaria? It is mainly some low-quality bread, or grains that can be made into bread, or porridge. Of course, it also includes some other foods: such as drinking water, wine, oil, salt and grapes; There is another kind of food called? pulmentarium? It is a paste cooked with various food ingredients according to different seasons and personal needs, and is usually eaten with bread. However, when the crops failed and the bread was in short supply, slaves had to eat dried figs.
since whether slaves have enough food and clothing is related to whether they can work hard for their masters, slave owners try their best to meet their daily needs in food distribution. Even some slave owners will send someone to check and check their food, and sometimes even the owner himself will check it.
When a slave performs well in his work, his master will reward him with more food or other things. If slaves have enough food, their nutrition is no problem, but if they are only supplied with low-quality bread, their nutrition is not enough. In this way, the slaves can only find their own way.
slaves who work as domestic servants in rich families, especially those who work in the master's kitchen, need not worry at all. They can eat what the host doesn't want to eat, or they can eat the food left over from the host's banquet: meat, poultry, fish and all kinds of sweets. And those slaves who work in the countryside can increase their food and nutrition by planting green leafy vegetables. Other slaves are not so lucky. Their living and eating are basically not guaranteed. If they encounter natural and man-made disasters again, their survival will become a problem.