Western Civilization I / Unit 7 WC1 0621 short lesson, about 20 seconds
One Percent: Wealth, Office, and Zero Mobility
Captions available
The idea
A one percent aristocracy held office by wealth: the anchor's million sesterces for the Senate, one hundred thousand for a town council, against a soldier's twelve hundred a year. Elite wealth grew about eight times from one to four hundred with almost no new wealth.
In practice
Low taxes on elites, ruthless taxation of provinces.
Where people slip
Sesterces stay sesterces. The course converts nothing.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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