Atthicus and the Role of Credit Economy in the Political Life of the Roman Republic (1st Century BCE)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34024/herodoto.2025.v10.22730Keywords:
Atticus, Roman Republic, Economy, Credit, PoliticsAbstract
The main objective of this article is to analyze the rise of the loan economy in the last century of the Republic, focusing on its effects on Roman finances and politics. To this end, we will discuss the general aspects of the economic world of the Republic, shedding light on the relevance of credit transactions to the overall state of the treasury and its connection to the construction of political power within the Roman aristocracy. Having understood these broader aspects, we will deepen the discussion with a case study: the equestrian Titus Pomponius Atticus. Recognized among his contemporaries as a great financial administrator and lender, we will argue about the economic power he acquired and, above all, about the political influence he gained as a result of these activities. At the end of this work, the interdependence of the political and economic fields at the time should be made concrete, in order to value the financial aspects in historical study.
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