DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.61617#0044
14
POMPEII
the emperor had received the vote; in the last two cases, the
prefect was undoubtedly appointed by the emperor. Thus, in
the years 34 and 40 a.d., the Emperor Caligula was duumvir of
Pompeii; but the duties of the office were discharged by a pre-
fect. A law passed in Rome toward the end of the Republic
on the motion of a certain Petronius contained provisions
regarding the appointment of prefects; one chosen in accord-
ance with them was called praefectus ex lege Petronia, ‘ prefect
according to the law of Petronius.’
There were also in Pompeii priests supported by the city, but
only a feyv of them are mentioned in the inscriptions. Refer-
ences are found to augurs and pontifices, to a priest of Mars,
and to priests (Jlamen, sacerdos} of Augustus while he was still
living; Nero had a priest even before he ascended the throne.
Mention is made of priestesses, too, a priestess of Ceres and
Venus, priestesses of Ceres, and others, the divinities of whom
are not named.
The suburbs could scarcely have had a separate administra-
tion ; they remained within the jurisdiction of the magistrates
of the city. In the case of the Pagus Augustus Felix mention
is made of a magister, ‘director,’ ministri, ‘attendants,’ and
pagani, ‘ pagus officials ’; but apparently these were all ap-
pointed for religious functions only, in connection with the
worship of the emperor. The magister and the pagani, in
part at least, were freedmen ; the four ministri, first appointed
in 7 b.c., were slaves.
Apart from commerce, an important source of income for the
Pompeians lay in the fertility of the soil. In antiquity, as now,
grapes were cultivated extensively on the ridge projecting from
the foot of Vesuvius toward the south. The evidence afforded
by the great number of wine jars, amphorae (Fig. 5), that have
been brought to light would warrant this conclusion ; and lately
a wine press also has been discovered at Boscoreale, above Pom-
peii. Pliny makes frequent mention of the Pompeian wine, but
adds that indulgence in it brings a headache that will last till
noon of the following day. The olive too was cultivated, but
only to a limited extent; this we infer from the small capacity
of the press and other appliances for making oil found in the
POMPEII
the emperor had received the vote; in the last two cases, the
prefect was undoubtedly appointed by the emperor. Thus, in
the years 34 and 40 a.d., the Emperor Caligula was duumvir of
Pompeii; but the duties of the office were discharged by a pre-
fect. A law passed in Rome toward the end of the Republic
on the motion of a certain Petronius contained provisions
regarding the appointment of prefects; one chosen in accord-
ance with them was called praefectus ex lege Petronia, ‘ prefect
according to the law of Petronius.’
There were also in Pompeii priests supported by the city, but
only a feyv of them are mentioned in the inscriptions. Refer-
ences are found to augurs and pontifices, to a priest of Mars,
and to priests (Jlamen, sacerdos} of Augustus while he was still
living; Nero had a priest even before he ascended the throne.
Mention is made of priestesses, too, a priestess of Ceres and
Venus, priestesses of Ceres, and others, the divinities of whom
are not named.
The suburbs could scarcely have had a separate administra-
tion ; they remained within the jurisdiction of the magistrates
of the city. In the case of the Pagus Augustus Felix mention
is made of a magister, ‘director,’ ministri, ‘attendants,’ and
pagani, ‘ pagus officials ’; but apparently these were all ap-
pointed for religious functions only, in connection with the
worship of the emperor. The magister and the pagani, in
part at least, were freedmen ; the four ministri, first appointed
in 7 b.c., were slaves.
Apart from commerce, an important source of income for the
Pompeians lay in the fertility of the soil. In antiquity, as now,
grapes were cultivated extensively on the ridge projecting from
the foot of Vesuvius toward the south. The evidence afforded
by the great number of wine jars, amphorae (Fig. 5), that have
been brought to light would warrant this conclusion ; and lately
a wine press also has been discovered at Boscoreale, above Pom-
peii. Pliny makes frequent mention of the Pompeian wine, but
adds that indulgence in it brings a headache that will last till
noon of the following day. The olive too was cultivated, but
only to a limited extent; this we infer from the small capacity
of the press and other appliances for making oil found in the