A worker's eye-view of ancient Rome

Speaker 00:00

[gentle music] We know plenty about the lives of rich and powerful Romans, men such as Julius Caesar and Augustus. But Kim Bowes is more interested in those who worked for a living, the so-called 90%. In this episode of the History Extra podcast, Kim tells Spencer Mizen about her endeavors to unearth the lost voices of the Roman Empire's working people, from Egyptian farmers and entrepreneurial barmen to profit-hungry pimps.

Spencer Mizen· Host0:32

Hi, Kim. Thank you very much for joining us today. Your new book is called Surviving Rome: The Economic Lives of the 90%, which explores how working people and the poor navigated ancient Rome's economy. I wonder if you could start by telling us what you mean by the 90%. Who were these people, and what kind of distinguished them from the top 10%?

Kim Bowes· Guest1:04

Thanks for having me, Spencer, and great question. The 90%, as far as my book is concerned and the questions that it tackles, are basically people who have to earn a living, mostly through manual labor, but through their own labor. That is the people who are different from people who make their living from rents, from investments, from other people's labor. And they're the 10%. You know,