Roman Republican thinking focused on war. Everything was connected with war: important gods, the army. Therefore it’shardly surprising that the Romans invented money just to improve warfare.

Those who wanted to get to the center of power in Rome had a very long way ahead of themselves. Outsiders had a difficult time. But there was one other possibility: to use the popular assembly - watch how the system crumbled.

Imagine to be in ancient Rome and you want to become a politician. There were specific preconditions and career steps. The historian Ursula Kampmann explains the system.

Roman politicians needed much money to win the vote. As a result, each one was overindebted. Part of the Roman Empire is based on the money crunch of Roman politicians.