Bread and Circuses Benefactions and Popularity in the Julio-Claudian Dynasty

[Truncated abstract] This thesis explores the connection between imperial benefactions and popular opinion in the Julio-Cluadian Dynasty. The central argument is that an emperor's provision of 'bread and circuses', and other public benefactions, was the primary means by which he won popularity. The way in which the Julio-Clauduan emperors, particularly Augustus, used their role as providers, was integral in the transformation of the republic into an empire. The advantages of the new regime , namely the 'bread and circuses', quickly made the imperial style of government the preferred one for the majority of the population...