A Study of the Demography of Imperial Rome from the Reign of Augustus to the Edict of Caracalla
Open Access
Author:
Flaig, Michael
Area of Honors:
Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Mary Katherine Shenk, Thesis Supervisor Erin Mc Kenna Hanses, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Rome CAMS Classics Demography Anthropology
Abstract:
The population of the Roman Empire has intrigued countless minds who have attempted to understand how Rome managed to obtain such a large population. This paper looks at the data for the population of the Empire from Augustus until the Edict of Caracalla. This time period is often considered to be Rome’s golden age and it certainly is in terms of surviving sources. This paper examines the elites, the plebeians, and the slave populations of Rome focusing on Italy and the city of Rome. The paper discusses the possible reasons behind the population growth or stagnation of the different classes in an effort to better understand why the Roman population exploded at the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire and how the population behaves from then until the Edict of Caracalla.
