L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano munificence, or voluntary public generosity, were con- s i d e r e d a d u t y , b u t a l s o worked as a way to display one's power and dominance: f o r e x a m p l e , M a r c u s Licinius Crassus, often regarded as the richest man in Roman history, accumu- lated his fortune through property speculation, silver m i n e s , a n d a p r i v a t e f i r e b r i g a d e t h a t o f f e r e d h e l p only after securing rights to the burning property. With his wealth, Crassus funded military campaigns and pub- lic entertainment, supporting both his popularity and polit- ical alliances. J u l i u s C a e s a r , t o o , strategically used wealth to b u i l d p o w e r . B e y o n d t h e well-known bequest of 300 sesterces to every citizen in his will, Caesar had, during his lifetime, borrowed enor- mous amounts of money to finance lavish public games a n d p o l i t i c a l c a m p a i g n s , plunging himself into debt to secure loyalty and prestige; his generosity to veterans, h i s c a n c e l l a t i o n o f s o m e debts, and his large-scale dis- tribution of grain were all part of a broader economic strategy to present himself as appealing. At the heart of anchoring the value of people's earnings w a s , o f c o u r s e , R o m a n coinage: the denarius and t h e s e s t e r t i u s w e r e t h e most commonly used curren- c i e s , w i t h o n e d e n a r i u s equaling four sestertii. Over time, however, both suffered from significant debasement, if we think that the aureus, a gold coin initially weighing around 8.17 grams, dimin- ished to approximately 4.55 grams by the fourth century A D . I n f l a t i o n f o l l o w e d , requiring the state to raise soldiers' pay to preserve loy- alty and purchasing power. But the declining value of currency often negated nom- inal increases in wages, while basic items like bread, wine, a n d o i l a l l r o s e i n c o s t , shrinking the practical worth of military men's income, in a clear sign of the fragility of the Roman monetary system. But soldiers and gladia- tors' wages aren't the only ones we know about. In fact, historians can tell us a thing or two also about the solid a n d e s s e n t i a l c o n n e c t i o n between wealth and poli- tics. Wealth was both a pre- r e q u i s i t e a n d a p o w e r f u l instrument for influence in Roman society, and it was o f t e n e s s e n t i a l t o h a v e a political career; for instance, to be eligible for the Roman Senate, a man needed to pos- sess property worth at least one million sesterces, a stag- gering sum that practically excluded all but the wealthi- est citizens from the political arena (just to give you an idea, we are talking about the equivalent of roughly six mil- lion dollars). There was a very practical reason behind this requirement, as econom- ic barriers functioned as a gatekeeping mechanism to preserve the concentration of political power within a small aristocratic class. There was more, though: the cursus honorum, or p o l i t i c a l c a r e e r l a d d e r , demanded significant per- sonal expenditure, as candi- dates for public office were expected to finance games, feasts, and building projects to curry favor with the elec- torate and demonstrate their civic virtue. These acts of a champion of the popu- lares – the people's party – while consolidating his grip on Rome's institutions. P r i o r w e a l t h w a s a l s o e s s e n t i a l t o b e c o m e – o r r e m a i n – p a r t o f R o m e ' s b u s i n e s s c l a s s , t h e o r d o equester, whose members were required to possess a minimum of 400,000 sester- ces and often served as pub- lic contractors, tax collectors, and financiers of state func- t i o n s . T h e i n t e g r a t i o n o f w e a l t h i n t o s t a t e c r a f t ensured that economic elites had vested interests in the continuation and expansion of Roman power, particularly through war and taxation: for instance, the publicani, Rome's tax collectors, profit- e d h a n d s o m e l y f r o m t a x farming in the provinces, blurring the lines between public duty and private gain. T a k e n t o g e t h e r , t h e s e examples reveal an ancient world where wealth, power, and warfare were linked, and w h e r e m o n e t a r y p o l i c i e s i n f l u e n c e d b o t h s t a t e finances and the lived reali- ties of ordinary people, in a pattern that is not far from what still happens in our world today. 5 0 , 0 0 0 d o l l a r s a n n u a l l y . While deductions for food, c l o t h i n g , a n d e q u i p m e n t r e d u c e d t a k e - h o m e p a y , Roman legionaries enjoyed a degree of financial security uncommon in the lower stra- ta of Roman society; perhaps more importantly, military service often provided a path to land ownership and, in s o m e c a s e s , c i t i z e n s h i p , w h i c h m a d e t h i s t y p e o f career particularly attractive for the lower classes and non-citizens seeking upward mobility. Often romanticized for their bravery or skill, gladi- ators occupied a completely different economic space. What many don't know is that, while most were slaves or prisoners, some free men chose the arena, too, as a way to gain fame and for- tune. Now, if we take a look at what their average earn- i n g s w e r e , t h e i r c h o i c e m a k e s m o r e s e n s e , a s a novice gladiator could be hired for around 1,000 ses- t e r c e s , w h i l e a s e a s o n e d fighter capable of drawing c r o w d s c o u l d c o m m a n d 15,000 sesterces per bout; in modern terms, this could translate to several thousand or even tens of thousands of dollars per appearance. If a g l a d i a t o r s u r v i v e d l o n g enough, he could achieve celebrity status and some- times earn his freedom, but, in truth, the majority lived and died in harsh conditions, with limited autonomy and s e c u r i t y , w h i c h c e r t a i n l y made the career much less W h a t d i d a R o m a n l e g i o n a r y or gladia- tor actual- ly earn, and what can that tell us about the societies they served? If we look beyond grand battles and legendary rulers, the economic details of these roles reveal the real – and deeper – connections between war, wealth, and social mobility in Antiq- uity. I n R o m e , w h e r e s t a t e power and personal ambition frequently overlapped, mili- tary and gladiatorial careers offered physical challenges as well as economic stakes, as both professions were linked to broader questions of class, opportunity, and the state's mechanisms for rewarding loyalty or exploiting specta- cle. L e t u s b e g i n w i t h t h e Roman military. In the late Republic, a legionary's annual stipend was 225 denarii, equal to around 900 sesterces. When adjusted for modern equivalents, these earnings could amount to roughly 5,000 to 6,000 US dollars per year, not extrava- g a n t b u t s i g n i f i c a n t f o r a commoner back then. Addi- t i o n a l i n c o m e o f t e n c a m e t h r o u g h w a r s p o i l s , l a n d grants, and discharge bonus- es equal to a year's pay; offi- cers, especially centurions, earned far more, sometimes e q u i v a l e n t t o 3 0 , 0 0 0 t o Just like for the people of today, money in Ancient Rome was a symbol of wealth and status (Image created with DALL-E 2) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE TRADITIONS The price of glory: how ancient warriors and politicians made – and spent! – their money LUCA SIGNORINI

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