Author: Garland, Andrew
Title: Cicero’s familia urbana
Review/Collection: "Greece and Rome", XXXIX
Year edition: 1992
Pages: 163-172
Keywords: Biographie - Biografia - Biography
Description: The aim of this article is to demonstrate that Cicero had a relatively small number of slaves in his urban household, reflecting his modest wealth compared to that of some Romans. The argument follows three lines. Firstly, there were relatively few job titles among the slaves of Cicero compared, for example, to those of the household of Augustus' wife Livia. This reflects Livia's relative prosperity, for the wealthier the household the more specialists it could support. The converse also follows: Cicero had fewer slaves with job titles, reflecting the smaller size of his household. Secondly, even those slaves in the household of Cicero who appear to be specialists because they had job titles were not really so since the tasks they were given were not as narrowly defined as their specific job titles suggest. Thirdly, other evidence from Cicero's correspondence and elsewhere suggests that Cicero's household was relatively small compared to other elite households of the Late Republic and Early Imperial period.
Works:
Author initials: Garland 1992
Title: Cicero’s familia urbana
Review/Collection: "Greece and Rome", XXXIX
Year edition: 1992
Pages: 163-172
Keywords: Biographie - Biografia - Biography
Description: The aim of this article is to demonstrate that Cicero had a relatively small number of slaves in his urban household, reflecting his modest wealth compared to that of some Romans. The argument follows three lines. Firstly, there were relatively few job titles among the slaves of Cicero compared, for example, to those of the household of Augustus' wife Livia. This reflects Livia's relative prosperity, for the wealthier the household the more specialists it could support. The converse also follows: Cicero had fewer slaves with job titles, reflecting the smaller size of his household. Secondly, even those slaves in the household of Cicero who appear to be specialists because they had job titles were not really so since the tasks they were given were not as narrowly defined as their specific job titles suggest. Thirdly, other evidence from Cicero's correspondence and elsewhere suggests that Cicero's household was relatively small compared to other elite households of the Late Republic and Early Imperial period.
Works:
Author initials: Garland 1992
