4 ms·

Lower doesn't mean anything, when compared relatively You have to compare the wealth of the rich guy with the average wealth at the time not with today's stand

by asjw 7y ago

Lower doesn't mean anything, when compared relatively You have to compare the wealth of the rich guy with the average wealth at the time not with today's standards... And even today, 2$ a day seem low but it's about how much the US government is giving away as aid too poor people to eat (it's about 3.4$ a day) It doesn't mean anything if it's not compared with something that has the same base (hence my whole comment about Roman food cost that should include expenses for keeping the military state running)

zozbot234 7y ago
> You have to compare the wealth of the rich guy with the average wealth at the time not with today's standards... Well, maybe. It depends what question you're asking. If the question is a social one about "what would it have looked like, broadly speaking, to have someone so relatively wealthy back then?" then maybe that's a reasonable comparison. If you're trying to get at "what would the rich guy really have been able to buy, subsidize, control etc. with that kind of wealth?", comparing by consumption basket gives an interesting perspective that tries to reflect absolute differences in the standard of living.
- asjw 7y ago
  The answer to the question is "he would be as rich as a modern billionaire in the tens of billions range"
- sergeykish 7y ago
  Marcus Licinius Crassus, "The richest man in Rome" [1], net worth c. 170 million sesterces (five times athletes net worth), "joined Caesar and Pompey in the unofficial political alliance known as the First Triumvirate". Together they got end of Republic. That worth a lot. Lets return to "the richest man in Rome". Jeff Bezos, richest in USA, net worth $114 billion [2]. Is it enough to join triumvirate, influence senate? Donald Trump net worth estimated $3.1 billion, but he is party representative. How much is party supporters net worth? [4] lists $143 billion, $82 billion - families controlling Walmart (about $150 billion net), Johnson & Johnson (about $100 billion)... About same Gaius Appuleius Diocles, net worth 35,863,120 sesterces. About fifth of Crassus. Assuming Rome had same inequality as in USA: 35,863,120 / 170 million * $114 billion = $24.05 billion Original posters estimate $400m * 5 = $2 billion Assuming [8] New Yorkers grocery expenses should be $10-20/month. They would revolt. Or city should be about Tallahassee and that's not the power they compare with [9]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Licinius_Crassus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Licinius_Crassus [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Americans_by_net_worth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Americans_by_net_worth [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_of_Donald_Trump https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_of_Donald_Trump [4] https://budgetandthebees.com/who-is-richer-democrats-or-republicans/ https://budgetandthebees.com/who-is-richer-democrats-or-repu... [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walmart https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walmart [6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_%26_Johnson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_%26_Johnson [8] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22777782 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22777782 [9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_b...
  - JumpCrisscross 7y ago
    > Is it enough to join triumvirate, influence senate? Crassus, Pompey and Caesar were not just incredibly wealthy relative to the average Roman. They were rich compared to Rome. They could buy the state. That’s simply not true in modern America, where D.C. can, in times of crisis, spend trillions unencumbered. (Something no individual, presently, can.)
fooker 7y ago
By that logic Mukesh Ambani is the richest person on earth by about 1.5 orders of magnitude because he's from India.
- chinesempire 7y ago
  But is he the richest man in history? Don't forget that Rome was the largest empire of its times but also the most powerful military entity by a large margin. Is India comparable?

by asjw 7y ago

zozbot234 7y ago

> You have to compare the wealth of the rich guy with the average wealth at the time not with today's standards... Well, maybe. It depends what question you're asking. If the question is a social one about "what would it have looked like, broadly speaking, to have someone so relatively wealthy back then?" then maybe that's a reasonable comparison. If you're trying to get at "what would the rich guy really have been able to buy, subsidize, control etc. with that kind of wealth?", comparing by consumption basket gives an interesting perspective that tries to reflect absolute differences in the standard of living.

asjw 7y ago
The answer to the question is "he would be as rich as a modern billionaire in the tens of billions range"
sergeykish 7y ago
Marcus Licinius Crassus, "The richest man in Rome" [1], net worth c. 170 million sesterces (five times athletes net worth), "joined Caesar and Pompey in the unofficial political alliance known as the First Triumvirate". Together they got end of Republic. That worth a lot. Lets return to "the richest man in Rome". Jeff Bezos, richest in USA, net worth $114 billion [2]. Is it enough to join triumvirate, influence senate? Donald Trump net worth estimated $3.1 billion, but he is party representative. How much is party supporters net worth? [4] lists $143 billion, $82 billion - families controlling Walmart (about $150 billion net), Johnson & Johnson (about $100 billion)... About same Gaius Appuleius Diocles, net worth 35,863,120 sesterces. About fifth of Crassus. Assuming Rome had same inequality as in USA: 35,863,120 / 170 million * $114 billion = $24.05 billion Original posters estimate $400m * 5 = $2 billion Assuming [8] New Yorkers grocery expenses should be $10-20/month. They would revolt. Or city should be about Tallahassee and that's not the power they compare with [9]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Licinius_Crassus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Licinius_Crassus [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Americans_by_net_worth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Americans_by_net_worth [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_of_Donald_Trump https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_of_Donald_Trump [4] https://budgetandthebees.com/who-is-richer-democrats-or-republicans/ https://budgetandthebees.com/who-is-richer-democrats-or-repu... [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walmart https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walmart [6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_%26_Johnson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_%26_Johnson [8] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22777782 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22777782 [9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_b...
- JumpCrisscross 7y ago
  > Is it enough to join triumvirate, influence senate? Crassus, Pompey and Caesar were not just incredibly wealthy relative to the average Roman. They were rich compared to Rome. They could buy the state. That’s simply not true in modern America, where D.C. can, in times of crisis, spend trillions unencumbered. (Something no individual, presently, can.)

fooker 7y ago

By that logic Mukesh Ambani is the richest person on earth by about 1.5 orders of magnitude because he's from India.

chinesempire 7y ago
But is he the richest man in history? Don't forget that Rome was the largest empire of its times but also the most powerful military entity by a large margin. Is India comparable?