4 ms·
What was the purpose of these laws, though?
by hamandcheese 5y ago
What was the purpose of these laws, though?
- anigbrowl 5y agoConspicuous consumption and waste arouses the ire of the lower classes and leads to civil unrest.
- asveikau 5y agoAre you sure it's not more simple, less cynical? Perhaps morality of the time and place didn't want people to be conspicuous-consuming assholes, and saw it as the duty of the state to uphold.
- anigbrowl 5y agoThose are two sides of the same coin in my view. Though I'm no expert on Roman history I've read enough about it to see such ebbs and flows.
- cloakandswagger 5y agoAncient Rome had no shortage of outrageous decadence and constantly struggled with class warfare, slave uprisings and the political necessity of winning the hearts of the "people"
- asveikau 5y agoI'm not saying these concerns aren't anywhere in Roman history and politics (that would be naive), but I think in many cases the law can be a reflection or encoding of what a culture puts value on, without that as direct explanation. If there was a cultural outrage, and expectation that the state do something... Then why not? We spend a lot of time in society today talking about "limited government" and focusing a lot on overreach, many people thinking the state shouldn't legislate morality. I have a hunch the Romans felt less of this.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- spoonjim 5y agoThe idea that "conspicuous" consumption is worse than inconspicuous consumption is necessarily rooted in classism -- it's that you don't want the "lowers" to see what they can't have, and anyways, you're only jockeying for status among the uppers anyways, so why not consume inconspicuously in an uppers-exclusive environment?
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- boomboomsubban 5y agoEntertainment was often held to buy votes or influence. The gold vase law was enacted by Emperor Tiberius, who seemed to dislike opulence in general.
- tgsovlerkhgsel 5y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumptuary_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumptuary_law lists "regulate the balance of trade by limiting the market for expensive imported goods" as one possibly surprising - but logical - purpose (among many others).
- josh_fyi 5y agoUpper classes get annoyed when nouveau riche show off their wealth, and so impose restrictions by class.
- fsloth 5y agoTo my understanding china sucked up huge amounts of Roman wealth due to luxury imports (silk). Silk ban could have been an attempt to repair the trade imbalance.
- throwaway2048 5y agothe Romans almost certainly did not understand trade imbalances or the effects of debasement/inflation.
- Bayart 5y agoThere are speeches to the Senate that remain and address directly the problem of luxury imports draining Rome of precious metals. Monetary policies were of great import in Roman history and Roman politics. They absolutely knew what inflation _is_, although they didn't have a complete picture. But I don't think we do either.