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“The news of
Pompeii-TODAY”
EXCLUSIVE
Pompeii Today
VII ante diem
Kalends
September,
DCCCXXII
Alyssa Karchmer, Jordan Kassab, Katie Fusillo, Mitali Sharma
Issue I
“An Exclusive With Caecilius” By: Alyssa Karchmer
“The Government of Rome” By: Alyssa Karchmer
In the morning, this reporter got the scoop with a celebrated
banker named Caecilius. An average day with Caecilius involves
waking up to a beautiful slave girl ready to wait on your every
want, coming down to breakfast already made and dining in the
bedazzled triclinium. Then it is off to work! As both a banker and
a tax collecter, Caecilius has made a bundle! Any Roman would
trust Caecilius as he is honest and kind and rich. Then, after a few
hours hard work, Caecilius goes to the baths to relax and play a
few sports. First, he plays with the other men and challenges them
to hardcore games of discus, foot races, and sometimes boxing.
Next he went into the tepidarium, the warm room, to undress and
prepare for the steamy heat of the next room, the caldarium. In the
caldarium, Caecilius pays slaves to wash him with olive oil and
scrape his back with a strigil. Then he continues to relax in the
caldarium. After he has relaxed and is ready to leave the baths,
Caecilius then enters the cold room, the frigidarium. There, he
jumps in a pool of cold, unheated water and from there he dries
off, puts his clothes back on, and goes back to his house. At his
house, his beautiful wife, Metella is waiting for him along with a
The Roman government has lasted for about one thousand
years. When the Roman Republic was first set up in 500 BC, the
people in charge of the government at first were two men called
consuls. Women were not allowed to be consuls. The consuls
controlled the army, and decided whether to fight a war and the
amount of taxes to collect from the people and what the laws
were. They both had to be in agreement in order to change
anything. If one of the consuls did not agree with a law, then it
would not be passed. The consuls got advice from the Senate,
which was made up of men from wealthy families in Rome.
Women were not allowed in the Senate, either. Once an official
entered the Senate, they stayed in command for the rest of their
lives. Most consuls eventually joined the Senate once they lost
power as consul, and most senators were from families where
their fathers and grandfathers had been in the Senate. Most of the
time, the consuls did what the Senate advised them to do. There
were tribunes, who were supposed to speak for the poorer people
in the Senate. Tribunes could veto (forbid) anything the Senate
voted for that affected the poor.
slave girl named Melissa and two slaves named Grumio, the cook,
and Clemens, the overseer of the household. Then Caecilius
Once the government began conquering other places farther
reclines in the triclinium and eats dinner. Oftentimes, he extends
from Rome, they also had a system of provincial governors. They
his kindness to others by having a dinner party in which a
were men who took charge of a province of the Empire, and who
beautiful slave girl will sing or another form of entertainment will
heard court cases there. They were also in charge of the army
be provided.
while it was conquering places. In 50 B.C, powerful generals such
I then asked Caecilius a number of questions. I asked him for
as Julius Caesar had begun to take over the government and not
his political views and he replied: “I support Holconius, but my
pay any attention to the consuls or the Senate anymore, and just
slaves support Afer in secret. I worry that I am wronging them by
do as they pleased. They could do that, because they had control
forcing them to support a candidate that they do not believe in.
of the powerful Roman army. Then, the emperor Augustus set up
However, some of my slaves are greedy and may support Afer
a different government to keep favor with his people. Augustus
primarily for money.” Many slaves had different political views
kept the Senate and the consuls, and said they had complete
than their masters but had to hide their true beliefs as open
power, but he then forced the Senate to vote in his favor on giving
defiance to their master would result in a punishment. I then
him the powers of a tribune for the rest of his life. This way, he
proposed the question of school attendance. Should girls be
would be able to veto any of the Senate’s laws that he was not
allowed to attend school if they are from a noble and rich family
fond of and the people of Rome would think that he gave up his
of good social status? Caecilius then turned toward me and
power for their good and therefore keep Augustus in office. He
replied: “Girls cannot handle the rigors of continued schooling as
also kept control of the large Roman army. This way of
an education should be and has always been a boy’s right. Girls
government continues on and is still in command today. It most
do not own businesses and therefore have no need to attend
likely will continue for the rest of time as Rome is the most
school. They belong at home caring for the children where they
powerful empire in the world. The Gods are also a great part of
belong and not try to interfere with the ways of Rome which have
the Roman Empire and culture. They protect the households and
guided us well since ancient times.” In the Roman Empire, girls
uphold Rome in war. Without the Gods, Rome is lost. However,
were considered of little value and most men did not believe that
Rome is the chosen empire of the Gods and they will never betray
women possessed a brain at all! However, most women had equal
us.
rights to men. This equality was extremely rare at the time.