Emperor
Septimius Severus returns to
Rome after a five-year absence.
Festivals are held to celebrate his six-year reign. Severus undertakes changes in the imperial government, giving the
Roman army a dominant role, raising pay in the
legions and permitting
legionaries to marry in order to secure their loyalty.
Rome is a city of about 1.5 million citizens, its people housed mostly in 46,600 insulae or apartment blocks, each three to eight stories high, flimsily made of
wood,
brick or
rubble.
Some 400,000
slaves perform the
menial work of Rome, with
middle-class citizens often owning eight; the rich from 500 to 1,000; an emperor as many as 20,000. Free urban workers enjoy 17 to 18 hours of leisure each day, with free admission to
baths,
sport events and
gladiatorial games.
Emperor
Septimius Severus returns to
Rome after a five-year absence.
Festivals are held to celebrate his six-year reign. Severus undertakes changes in the imperial government, giving the
Roman army a dominant role, raising pay in the
legions and permitting
legionaries to marry in order to secure their loyalty.
Rome is a city of about 1.5 million citizens, its people housed mostly in 46,600 insulae or apartment blocks, each three to eight stories high, flimsily made of
wood,
brick or
rubble.
Some 400,000
slaves perform the
menial work of Rome, with
middle-class citizens often owning eight; the rich from 500 to 1,000; an emperor as many as 20,000. Free urban workers enjoy 17 to 18 hours of leisure each day, with free admission to
baths,
sport events and
gladiatorial games.