Temples and the Civic Order
Temples and the Civic Order
From Numbers to Rhythms
This chapter describes and analyzes the secondary effects of temple construction, specifically the distribution of public goods and the consequences of that distribution for the production and reproduction of trust and quasi-voluntary compliance. The innovativeness of mid-Republican temples did not stop with their addition of architectural novelty and variety to the urbs. The proliferation of multifunctional sacred buildings provided new opportunities for small- and large-scale collective coordination and action, whose multiplier effects further propelled Rome's evolution into a ritual polity. Notwithstanding its designation as a “consumer city” in the works of some modern scholars, Rome from the middle Republic on became increasingly adept at providing tangible services, both to residents and out-of-town visitors. These religious services closed the gap between the Roman state's rapidly expanding capacity to project power abroad and its rather more muted bureaucratic initiatives at home.
Keywords: temple construction, public goods, quasi-voluntary compliance, mid-Republican temples, sacred buildings, Rome, ritual polity, consumer city, religious services, Roman state
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