Elections

Political Institutions

• Comitium (‘people’s assembly’)

• Ordo Decurionum (legislative body)

• Magistracy ( 2 senior and 2 junior officials)

Elections

• Annual election- 2 duumvirs and 2 aediles

• Could be elected more than once

(Marcus Holconius Rufus=5x)

• March

• Toga candida

• Term begins 1 July

Restrictions

• Male, freeborn citizen of good character

• Property requirement

• Over 25

• Duumvir has to have been aedile already

Money

• 100,000 seterces (ordo)

• Money to buy votes

• Money to pay for games and buildings.

Expenditures

• Inscription in black and red paint 55/56 CE or later, House of Trebius Valens( III, ii, 1) (CIL IV 7991)

• 20 pairs of gladiators of Gnaeus Alleius Nigidius Maius, quinqennial, and their substitutes will fight without any public expense at Pompeii

Location designations

Electoral Districts

• Forenses ( Southwest, Forum area)

• Campanienses (Nola)

• Salienienses (Herculaneum)

• Urbulanenses(Sarno)

• Single group choice- winner

Gets majority of groups

7,500 out of 24,000 eligible to vote

Voting

• In Forum ( ?)

• Tesserula

• Tabella

• Arca/cista

Electoral Inscriptions ( Programmata)

• Name and office

• Abbreviations– v.b= virum bonum

• D(ignum) R(ei)P(ublicae)

• O (ro) V(os) F(aciatis)

• CN HELVIUM SABINUM AED VB DRP

OVF

Names of @ 131 candidates most (90%) after 62 CE

@ 2800 inscriptions found

Chronology determined by J. Franklin 1980

Professional sign painters

• Aemelius Celer ( signed)

• Worked by night in teams (evidence from programmata)

“ Neighbors, I beg you to elect Lucius Statius Receptus duumvir with judicial power, a worthy man. Aemilius Celer wrote this a neighbor. You jealous one who destroys this may you fall ill”. CIL IV 775(IX.vii.8)=ILS 6409

Variations

His neighbors ask for Cn. Helvius Sabinus, an honest man, as aedile

(CIL iV 7928 ( IX. xiii.1)

Dormis ( you sleep/do you sleep?)Wake up (?) and vote for Helvius Sabinus for aedile(CIL IV 2993t)

Occupational Endorsements

• Bread-bakers, carpenters, dyers, fruit sellers, fullers, goldsmiths, grape-pickers, mule-drivers, ointment sellers….

Occupational Endorsements

• The millers ask for and desire Gn. Helvius Sabinus as aedile, together with his neighbors (CIL IV 7747 ( III.vi.1)

• Hermes with the chicken-keepers asks for Cn. Helvius as aedile (CIL IV 241(VI.xii.7)

Women’s role (more than 50 endorsements)

• Iunia asks for you to elect Cn. Helvius Sabinus aedile (CIL IV 1168)

• Claudius’ little girl-friend is working for his election as duovir

• Vote for Lucius Popidius Sabinus: his grandmother worked hard for his last election and is pleased with the results.

Negative campaigning?

All those asleep and Macerius ask for Vatia as aedile (CIL IV 575)=ILS 641e

The little thieves ask for Vatia as aedile

(CIL IV 576= ILS

The late drinkers all ask you to elect Marcus Cerrinius Vatia aedile. Florus and Fructus wrote this. (CIL IV 581=ILS 641d)

Candidates

• 79CE -Duumvirs (not many candidates- had to be aedile first)

• Gaius Gavius Rufus

• Marcus Holconius Priscus

All the fruit sellers with Helvius Vestalis call for Marcus Holconius Priscus as duumvir for lawsuits

Candidates

• 79 CE—Aediles ( competitive office)

• Gaius Cuspius Pansa

• Lucius Popidius Secundus

• Marcus Sabellius Modestus

• Gnaeus Helvius Sabinus

Patronage: Prominent familiesPopidiae and the Poppaeae

• House of the Citharist House of Menander

Gnaeus Helvius Sabinus

• The Poppaei ask for Helvius Sabinus to be elected aedile (CIL IV 357) (IX.v. 11, Street of Nola)

• The Popidii ask for Helvius Sabinus as aedile (CIL IV 705)

• Temple of Isis rebuilt by freedman of Popidii

Rome vs. Pompeii ( 40’s BCE)

• On another occasion, Cicero openly mocked Julius Caesar’s willingness to appoint people to the Senate. For when he was asked by his host Publius Mallius to hasten his stepson’s entry to the ordo, he replied in front of a great many people,

‘ he shall have it at Rome, if you wish; at Pompeii it is difficult’. (Macrobius, Saturnalia, 2.3.11)

District Officials

• Within the walls districts ( vici) had officials in charge of cult of Lares ( 2 magistri)

• Area outside of walls divided into districts with local administrators who could be freedmen. (magistri)

• Slave attendants (ministri)

Fortunate Augustan Suburban Country District

Country Districts

• Inhabitants= pagani

• Formal system for meeting and passing decrees ( inscriptions from honorary statues)

• To Marcus Holconius, son of Marcus, duumvir with judicial power, quinqennial, priest of Augustus; the inhabitants of a country district set this up(CIL X 944)