'It is the emphasis on the political power of the poor in Rome emerging from this work that might, perhaps, offer encouragement to impoverished readers today.' Classical Ireland
1. Introduction: Roman poverty in context Robin Osborne; 2. The poor in the city of Rome Neville Morley; 3. Stratification, deprivation and quality of life Walter Scheidel; 4. 'You do him no service': an exploration of pagan almsgiving Anneliese Parkin; 5. Writing poverty in Rome Greg Woolf; 6. Population and poverty in Roman Egypt Dominic Rathbone; 7. A pragmatic approach to poverty and riches: Ambrosiaster's Quaestio CXXIV Sophie Lunn-Rockliffe; 8. Portraying the poor: descriptions of poverty in Christian texts from the Late Roman Empire Richard Finn; 9. Throwing parties for the poor: poverty and splendour in the late antique Church Lucy Grig; 10. Rhetoric and reality in Salvian of Marseille's portrayal of the poor Cam Grey; 11. Poverty and Roman law Caroline Humfress; Bibliography; Index.