In ancient Rome, munera (Latin plural; singular munus) were public works and entertainments provided for the benefit of the Roman people by individuals of high status and wealth. Munera means "duty, obligation" (cf. English "munificence"), expressing the individual's responsibility to provide a service or contribution to his community. The word was often a synonym for gladiatorial combat, which was originally sponsored as a funeral tribute at the tomb of a deceased Roman magnate by his heir. Munera depended on the private largesse of individuals, in contrast to ludi, which were games, athletic contests or spectacles sponsored by the state.
___Gladiator_q.jpg)
>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<
In this Dossier
Munera (ancient Rome) in the context of Municipium
In ancient Rome, the Latin term municipium (pl.: municipia) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the municipium was a social contract among municipes ('duty holders'), or citizens of the town. The duties (munera) were a communal obligation assumed by the municipes in exchange for the privileges and protections of citizenship. Every citizen was a municeps.
The distinction of municipia was not made in the Roman Kingdom; instead, the immediate neighbours of the city were invited or compelled to transfer their populations to the urban structure of Rome, where they took up residence in neighbourhoods and became Romans per se. Under the Roman Republic the practical considerations of incorporating communities into the city-state of Rome forced the Romans to devise the concept of municipium, a distinct state under the jurisdiction of Rome. It was necessary to distinguish various types of municipia and other settlements, such as the colony. In the early Roman Empire these distinctions began to disappear; for example, when Pliny the Elder served in the Roman army, the distinctions were only nominal. In the final stage of development, all citizens of all cities and towns throughout the empire were equally citizens of Rome. The municipium then simply meant municipality, the lowest level of local government.
Munera (ancient Rome) in the context of Jus trium liberorum
The jus trium liberorum (Latin, "the right of three children"; also spelled ius), was a privilege awarded to Roman citizens who had produced at least three children or to freedpersons who had produced at least four. The privilege resulted from the Lex Papia Poppaea and other legislation on morality introduced by Augustus in the first centuries BC and AD. These laws were intended to increase the dwindling population of the Roman upper classes.
The intent of the jus trium liberorum has been interpreted by a few scholars as eugenic legislation, but the predominant view is that it was intended to increase birth rates among the senatorial order. Men who had received the jus trium liberorum were excused from munera (compulsory services). Women with jus trium liberorum were no longer subject to tutela mulierum (guardianship by a male relative) and could receive inheritances which would otherwise descend to their children.
Munera (ancient Rome) in the context of Civitates
In Ancient Rome, a civitas (Latin pronunciation: [ˈkiːwɪtaːs]; plural civitates), sometimes translated as "city", was the social body of the cives, or citizens, united by their laws, which gave them responsibilities (Latin: munera) on the one hand, and rights on the other. The agreement (concilium) has a life of its own, creating a res publica or "public entity" (synonymous with civitas), into which individuals are born or accepted, and from which they die or are ejected. The civitas is not just the collective body of all the citizens; it is the contract binding them all together, because each of them is a civis.