Open AccessMaking a New Aristocracy: The Antiqui Mores at the Service of Augustan Politics
Author(s) -
Francesca Rohr Vio
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
lexis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.123
H-Index - 2
eISSN - 2724-1564
pISSN - 2210-8823
DOI - 10.30687/lexis/2724-1564/2021/01/007
Subject(s) - aristocracy (class) , mores , ruling class , politics , state (computer science) , morality , power (physics) , law , classics , sociology , political science , history , economic history , physics , algorithm , quantum mechanics , computer science
In his reorganization of the State, Augustus restored the patrimony of values on which the senatorial aristocracy had founded its power in the res publica and he especially ensured the family’s central role. For this purpose he identified behavior exempla in the past of Rome and in his own domus and promoted a series of laws to regulate the public and private life of citizens. His aim was to affect morality and birthrate, but also to create a new ruling class: the homines novi would integrate with the ancient aristocracy through marriages and common descendants and this new senatorial class would operate according to the guidelines that had guided the leaders of the history of Rome.