The Roman Empire prided itself on the Law and
Order established during the great Pax Romana. And yet in the dark corners where
imperial authority could not reach, others stepped in to establish
their own system of rule. This underworld of antiquity is all too often
overlooked in traditional studies of the past. So today let us seek to explore the
mysterious yet powerful Gangs of Rome! While The Gangs of Rome may have had to fight it
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gifts now and help support the channel. Enjoy. Before we explore the underworld of antiquity, it's important that we understand what lies on
the surface. And by this I mean the “official” ways in which Law and Order was established
in the Roman Empire. This is a quite complex subject which we’ve covered in depth in
another series if you want to learn more. At a high level, the Romans had a framework
similar to ours in that they had a legislative system for creating laws, a judicial system for
interpreting the law, and an executive system for enforcing the law. These matured gradually over
the centuries to reflect the needs of a growing population whose common citizens fought constantly
for greater political equality with the elite. For context, let’s examine a snapshot of this
system around the mid Republic. At this point the legislative system involved laws being proposed
and voted upon within the popular assemblies. If passed these would be blessed by the senate and
officially inscribed on tablets to join the body of existing laws. The judicial system meanwhile
involved courts where cases could be heard and verdicts reached. These had initially begun as
popular courts run by tribunes and attended to by the entire city but would later evolve into
the more efficient jury courts run by judges and a panel of around 100 citizens. And finally the
executive system meant to enforce the laws was not some centralized department of justice but rather
a hodge-podge assortment of magistrates and their subordinates which maintained order within various
spheres of activity. What united their aims was a duty to defend the respublica “and see that it
came to no harm.” It's important to note that this meant the executive branch was first and foremost
concerned with the preservation of the city and overall body politic rather than the protection
of individuals from unjust or illegal action. While impressive for its time, Rome’s system
of Law and Order had several glaring issues: One: The body of laws was incredibly
complex with many holes and contradictions Two: The judicial system was swamped with cases
and those which were heard lacked many of the safeguards necessary to ensure impartial justice
Three: Law enforcement was poorly organized with very limited resources when it
came to the needs of the individual Such a system was only capable of
maintaining Law and Order from a high level. Local authorities could at times
be leveraged to extend imperial authority down a bit further but for the most part
they too were limited in their abilities. Thus it was that your everyday person on
the ground was essentially on their own. But nature abhors a vacuum and where “official”
powers were missing, “un-official” ones took their place. It is these “un-official”
powers which we will be exploring today. Owing to their very nature they
can be quite difficult to pin down. Broadly speaking we might call them “Gangs”.
After all the term “Gang” is used to define a group with a defined leadership, an
internal structure, a claim to territory, and the pursuit of illegal and/or violent
behavior. This is broad enough to describe much of what we see developing in
the power vacuums of Ancient Rome. Similar to today these came in all shapes and
sizes. They ran the gauntlet from small scale street gangs which might hustle the locals or take
part in turf wars to large crime syndicates which carried out the age old operations of organized
crime such as racketeering, bribery, insurance fraud, gambling, kidnapping, assassination,
and more. And yet a direct comparison to our gangs of today can be somewhat misleading when you
consider the nature of law and order we previously described and the fact that violence in the
past was simply more ubiquitous and acceptable. Therefore we will be using the term
"Gangs" rather loosely and get more specific with their nature as we look more
closely at the "unofficial" organizations which formed within various
realms of society. These include: Political Gangs
Religious Gangs Economic Gangs
Sports Gangs And Military Gangs In truth, gangs were rarely limited to any ONE
activity but for our purposes such simplifications are necessary to bring order to this complex
subject. So with that in mind, let's get started. We can begin with the political gangs. Again
it will be useful to first describe the "official" power structures in this arena
before we look at the "unofficial" ones. In this regard, Roman authority,
or imperium, was distributed to its magistrates each of whom was accorded a
number of lictors proportional to their power. Such lictors acted not only as bodyguards
but were the muscle which could be used to enforce the law. This was particularly
important within the city of Rome where the boundary of the Pomerium prohibited
soldiers and even weapons from entering. The intent therefore was to monopolize the use
of force in the hands of the government's agents. But another means of organizing political
power in Rome was through the Clientela. These were hierarchical social structures formed
between patrons and their clients. Essentially a powerful person would cultivate a semi-formal
network of followers with favors being exchanged between the two. For instance a Patron could help
support their clients with loans, business deals, legal representation, marriage arrangements
and more. In exchange clients would offer loyalty and services to their Patron. Likely
some of these favors might include doing the dirty work necessary to see that the
wishes of their boss were accomplished. At times this was quite reminiscent of something
from the "Godfather". According to our records, Patrons would host daily meetings in their home
which clients would attend to make their requests. In such events, the social hierarchy was
readily apparent and likely reinforced by all manner of customs our records do not
preserve but which can easily be imagined. Following this, the Patron would make
their tour of the city with clients in tow. The size of one's entourage was
a reflection of one's power. Such Clientela were often leveraged for
political gain. They helped support a Patron's political aspirations, voting for them
and backing their campaign in any way possible. Given the fierce competition between Roman
politicians this adversity could ripple out to a clash of their Clientela. By the time of
the late Republic, these truly evolved into physical conflicts between political gangs.
For instance, armed followers could be used to intimidate voters, break up meetings,
and even directly threaten politicians. But wealthy individuals were not the
only nucleus for social support groups. Another important organization was that
of the Collegium. These were essentially associations formed around shared interests
such as a trade, profession, or religion. For instance you might find the Miller's Guild,
the Union of Fishermen, or the Brothers of Mithra. Collegia were especially common in urban areas
where they might come to dominate various parts of the city. Some were even organized like
miniature governments with their own meeting halls from which to exert control over their
particular area of interest. It should be no surprise then that the Collegia could often
find themselves getting involved in politics. This was especially true in the late Republic
when gangs of Clientela and Collegia went to war in the streets of Rome. The most famous
example of this was the clash between Clodius and Milo in the 50s BC. The former came from an
ancient aristocratic family of patricians but had renounced this lineage in a bid for power through
a more populist career track that saw him ascend to the tribunate of the plebs. From here he gained
support from among the people and forged important ties with the various Collegia of the city. Soon
he would begin to arm and organize these groups into a militia-like force that could be deployed
across the city against his political rivals. These would eventually be countered by
Milo, a tribune of the optimate faction, who raised his own force of armed
slaves, thugs, and hired gladiators. Cicero was caught in the cross-fire and reports
the following in a fascinating series of letters. “On 11 November as I was going down the Via
Sacra, he came after me with his men. Uproar! Stones flying, cudgels and swords in evidence.
And all like a bolt from the blue! I retired into Tettius Damio's forecourt, and my companions
had no difficulty in keeping out the thugs.” “On 12 November he tried to storm and
burn Milo's house in the Cermalus, bringing out fellows with drawn swords and
shields and others with lighted firebrands, all in full view at eleven o'clock in the morning.
He himself had made P. Sulla's house his assault base. Then out came Q. Flaccus with some stout
warriors from Milo's other house, the Anniana, and killed off the most notorious bandits of
the whole Clodian gang. He had every wish to kill their principal, but he had gone to
earth in the recesses of Sulla's house.” “On 19 November Milo went to the Campus before
midnight with a large following. Though Clodius had a picked force of runaway slaves at his back,
he did not dare go to the Campus. Milo stayed till noon, to the public's enormous glee and his own
great reclame. The campaign of the three brethren became a fiasco. They found their violence
outmatched and their fury treated with contempt.” The clash of gangs got so bad that
many public activities in the city were disrupted and elections for the year of
53 BC were even delayed not once but twice. The following year things would come to an
unexpected head. By sheer coincidence both Clodius and Milo happened to pass one another
whilst traveling in opposite directions along the Via Appia. Both gangs of about 30 men
passed each other without incident until some unknown scuffle caused the last
of their number to fall into dispute. This spark led to an immediate outbreak of
violence. Apparently in the scuffle, one of Milo’s gladiators managed to throw a javelin
which struck Claudius and prompted his men’s retreat. These attempted to regroup at a nearby
inn but were pursued. Claudius, unable to escape, was executed. Such was the bloody nature
of Rome’s political violence in this era. Eventually Augustus would bring order to the chaos
by keeping a tight leash on the Collegia and other organizations of the city whilst establishing the
Praetorian Guard as his own keepers of the peace. Yet even still, political gangs would continue
to play a role in the affairs of the Empire. Another cause for alarm for the official
powers of Rome were the Religious gangs. Generally speaking the Romans were quite tolerant
of religions with hundreds of gods and thousands of cults existing across the Empire. Even foreign
traditions were allowed to not only continue their practices but were embraced by many within
the city of Rome itself and in its legions. Certainly this could be a cause for
friction but for the most part the flexible, non-exclusive nature of a polytheistic
world allowed for relative harmony within the bounds of Roman society. And yet there
were times in which the social fabric was ruptured to the point that the official
powers of Rome were compelled to step in. We can begin with an example of small-scale
disruption caused by a cult gang. These might arise organically as people gravitated towards
certain practices and began to form hierarchies. Priests or priestesses often led such groups
with various tiers of acolytes being established beneath them. Such organizations could easily
begin to function like gangs which deployed violence to achieve their aims. A good example
comes from the fictional but historically inspired work of Apuleius, “The Golden Ass”.
In it a group of priests devoted to the cult of Dea Syria wander around the countryside in
outlandish garb, chanting away in a procession, and performing bizarre acts of masochism.
Eventually this priestly procession comes upon a wealthy landowner’s country home. Chaos
ensues once the priests enter the property, set up, and begin chanting and playing music.
The priests quickly begin tearing at themselves with their teeth in a frenzy and slashing
themselves with double-edged knives. One of the adherents self-flagellates himself to the
point that the floor becomes slippery with blood. Following this performance the gang of
bloody, weapon wielding priests collect coins and large quantities of wine from their
hosts before departing. It's easy to see how such altercations could go wrong and how such
groups might wield their power to nefarious ends. One of the most famous examples of this occurring
at a large scale has to do with the cult of Bacchus. Introduced to Rome around 200 BC, it
began as a new way to practice devotion to the god of wine and festivity. This specific
cult was different in that Livy describes the original teacher as a "Greek of humble
origin, versed in sacrifices and soothsaying" who had established a nocturnal version of prior
traditions, added wine and feasting to the mix, and thus acquired an enthusiastic following
of women and men from across the classes. Initiation rites supposedly took place
5 days each month with secret ceremonies known as the “Bacchanalia” being hosted over
several nights. Here is how Livy put it: “To their religious performances were
added the pleasures of wine and feasting, to allure a greater number of proselytes.
When wine, lascivious discourse, night, and the intercourse of the sexes had
extinguished every sentiment of modesty, then debaucheries of every kind began to be
practiced, as every person found at hand that sort of enjoyment to which he was disposed by the
passion predominant in his nature. Nor were they confined to one species of vice—the promiscuous
intercourse of free-born men and women; but from this store-house of villainy proceeded false
witnesses, counterfeit seals, false evidences, and pretended discoveries. From the same place,
too, proceeded poison and secret murders, so that in some cases, not even the bodies could
be found for burial. Many of their audacious deeds were brought about by treachery, but most of
them by force; it served to conceal the violence, that, on account of the loud shouting,
and the noise of drums and cymbals, none of the cries uttered by the persons suffering
violence or murder could be heard abroad.” The reason we hear about this otherwise
secret cult is that a whistleblower came forth to the authorities. The scope of
what was being alleged set off alarm bells. Supposedly the cult was so numerous and
organized that it was said to have been almost a second state of its own with adherents
of many men and women from noble families. In a speech to the people, a statesman warned that
this cabal would soon be powerful enough to emerge from the shadows. Immediate action was
needed. Guards were posted across the city, community watches were established, and the
senate ordered a Consular investigation. These magistrates now began conducting
interrogations, hunting priests, and cracking down on any who harbored fugitives. Livy
claims that they would uncover a grand conspiracy in the very heart of Rome whereby the leaders of
the cult had broken civil, moral, and religious laws and even compelled weak-minded followers
to commit a string of murders undetected. In the end, some 7000 members of the cult were
arrested, the majority of which were executed. In the ensuing crackdown the Senate passed a
sweeping decree which dismantled the existing organization, required new groups to
be heavily regulated and reformed to the point that they would never again be
able to attain the same level of power. The trauma of this incident shows why the
emergence of later mystery cults and in particular the secretive, god-denying Christians caused
such a panic to the established powers in Rome. Now let's switch gears and pivot
to the Economic Gangs of Rome. Broadly speaking, all gangs took part in some
form of economic activity. However I wanted to focus on specific groups which were formed
around some economic function in society. Often these came to exist as a result
of the fact that many public services, as we would consider them today, were not
actually run by the government. A great example relates to the threat of fires. This was an ever
present danger, especially in crowded cities, but no robust system yet existed to combat them.
This is where some private entities sweeped in to exploit this lucrative market. Perhaps the most
famous example is Crassus who organized an army of slaves into a fire brigade. But rather than
act benevolently he would apparently refuse to save homes unless he was paid for the service
or the owner sold him the property at a steeply discounted price. Eventually steps were taken to
establish government control of firefighting in the city of Rome whilst a close eye was kept on
other brigades which popped up across the Empire. Afterall any such consolidation of power could be
considered a threat to local imperial authority. A pointed example of this is the following
letter written by Emperor Trajan: “You have conceived the idea that a guild of
firemen might be formed in Nicomedia on the model of various others already existing. But it is
to be remembered that your province of Bithynia, and especially city states like Nicomedia,
are the prey of factions. Whatever name we may give to those who form an association, and
whatever the reason of the association may be, they will soon degenerate into secret
societies. It is better policy to provide devices for mastering conflagrations and
encourage property owners to make use of them, and, if occasion demands, press
the crowds into the same service.” In some cases however the government did
rely on private contractors to conduct its business. These were the Publicani.
One of their major activities was to bid for the right to collect taxes for Rome.
Winners would seek to reap profits from this endeavor by imposing extra taxes on the
people on top of what was owed the government. With the Roman authorities at their back
and often hired muscle by their side they became famously predatory. One particularly
greedy Publicani is reported by Livy to have not only conducted illegal tax farming but
also set up a scheme of insurance fraud. “They would put small cargoes of little value
on old, battered vessels, sink them at sea, after taking off the crews in small boats that
were in readiness, and then falsely declare that the shipments were far more valuable
and collect corresponding repayment.” Such powerful, well-connected groups rarely
suffered any serious consequences from a Roman government which itself was rife
with corrupt members taking part in many of these same practices. This was to the
great frustration of the general public. Inevitably things could boil over. Livy recounts
how on one occasion the tribunes of the plebs had begun proceedings to impose fines on the
Publicani. In response, the accused brought in their own thugs to break up the legal assembly.
These reportedly isolated the tribunes and drew up battle lines against the people. Apparently
“these men were restrained from slaughter only by the forbearance of the magistrates in
yielding for the moment to their mad audacity”. While we lack the evidence to conclude
that such economic gangs were widespread, it's likely that criminal and violent acts were
just a part of doing business. After all this was an age where might made right. Bribery, extortion,
and intimidation were all tools of the trade. Just as today, the most successful business
magnates were ruthlessly cut throat, though in the past this probably applied
just as literally as it did metaphorically. Another cut throat environment could be the world
of Roman sports where gangs certainly existed. The most popular of these activities were Gladiator
matches and Chariot Races. They were among the biggest sources of entertainment of the era with
people swarming to attend them. Just as today crowds ran the gauntlet from your casual observer
to your super fan. These began to line up behind their favorite athletes and teams. Support could
often become fanatical and deadly brawls or even riots are commonly reported. This was often driven
by sports hooligans which used team support as the basis for taking part in disruptive and unlawful
behavior. This might be directed towards rival fans and athletes. Attacks took the form of verbal
assaults, magical curses, and outright violence. To a certain extent we might call
these types of hooligans sports gangs. However this title is better ascribed to the
factions which arose around the chariot races. By tradition there were four main teams, the
Reds, the Whites, the Blues, and the Greens. Each faction had not only its dedicated fans
but also an actual organization which supported it. Generally speaking they helped fund the
races, managed the teams, dealt with logistics, and provided security for its members. Given the
enormous amount of money in these sports, they likely also had a hand in things like gambling,
match rigging, and black market ticket sales. At the head of each faction was typically a Patron
or group of Patrons. The Senior Managers known as the Domini Factionum came next followed by a
hierarchy which would have involved managers, talent scouts, recruiters, athletes, trainers,
stable masters, promoters, bookies, musclemen, and more. Such organizations were certainly
powerful and had the potential to cause a lot of mischief. However it seems that for
the most part they were tolerated by the government. In fact the Emperors eventually
began supporting factions and picking sides. Thus with some level of co-option occuring in
the light of day it was a palatable situation. But there were certainly cases where things
could blow up as would occur infamously with Nika riots which nearly saw the Emperor
killed and left tens of thousands dead. The last type of gang I wanted to mention was the
military gang. We won’t spend long on this topic as the lines really start to get blurry here
when it comes to using this term. For instance there were all kinds of groups across antiquity
which today could be said to exhibit gang like behavior but in the past were best described
as bandits, pirates, rebels, raiders, and more. What classifies as an “official army” as
opposed to an armed organization attempting to exert its will through force is not
so clear cut. For instance Roman armies which lost proper discipline were said
to devolve into bands of roving bandits. Even when properly controlled one could argue that
armies, loyal to individual generals and beholden to their favor, were just giant gangs. Taken to
an extreme we might argue that the line between what is an “official” vs “unofficial” power merely
relies on which one currently has the most power. Anyways I hope that our coverage of this topic so
far has been both interesting and entertaining. Let me know what topics we should cover next. For now you can head over to our
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