University thesis:
Dissertation, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 2013
Footnote:
Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 310-335
Description:
Die politische Rolle der stadtrömischen Plebs in der Kaiserzeit engages with the topical question of the political role of the Roman plebs in the imperial period and seeks to reconstruct how it may have looked in practice and how it can be defined. Detailed source criticism of Tacitus, Suetonius, Dio Cassius, and others demonstrates that the passages thematizing citizens are primarily narrative in function. This approach further sharpens our understanding of the plebs? actual historical actions both regarding their causes, forms, and extent, as well as their attitude towards the emperors. This reappraisal allows for new insights and corrects numerous prior assessments, especially with regard to the function assigned the plebs as part of the so-called ?system of acceptance?. 00