Lives of the Infamis

[Titus Manlius Verus]

As I have been studying the lives of Romans, I have had trouble placing the infamis in the social structure. I understand that one who is an infamis cannot vote, hold public office, or represent others in court, but what sort of role did they play in society, and what are the ways that one becomes branded with infamy? Also, what would daily life be like for an infamis?

[Epictetus]

According to Smith’s Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, this could be a consequence of:

• Ignominious expulsion from the army
  
• A woman caught in adultery
  
• Theft
  
• Rape
  
• Causing injury
  
• Evil design which resulted in harm or prevented help
  
• Financial insolvency
  
• A widow or widower marrying within the time of mourning
  
• “Double marriage” (Polygamy? I'm not sure what they mean here.)
  
• Prostitution, or acting as a pimp or madam
  
• Acting on the public stage
  
• Fighting wild beasts for money
  
  Note this source is extremely dated. There might be better sources available.

[Kegluneq]

[*]“Double marriage” (Polygamy? I'm not sure what they mean here.)

I think it refers to bigamy, or being engaged (=sponsalia) to two women at the same time.

[M. Demetrius]

Mono gamy One spouse
Bi gamy Two spouses
poly gamy 3 or more spouses

[Kegluneq]

Mono gamy One spouse
Bi gamy Two spouses
poly gamy 3 or more spouses

A 'serial bigamist' can have any number of spouses, the implication is that each spouse was unaware of the existence of the others. I think that's what was alluded to here, especially with regards to the multiple engagements issue; since this was a form of contract between two families it was particularly bad if a man held two (or more) simultaneously.

Multiple marriages might have been an issue for veteran auxiliary soldiers, who were told specifically that they could only have one (legal) wife; Carol van Driel-Murray has suggested that soldiers deployed far from home might have wives at home and concubines at the camp, making the distinction on the diploma meaningful.

[Titus Manlius Verus]

[*]Causing injury

Does this apply to general assault (i.e. a bar fight), or something more malicious like a mugging or organized crime?

[Epictetus]

It appears to be very general, and could even apply to injuries to reputation, such as through libel.

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Ro...juria.html

[john m roberts]

It strikes me that several American presidents would have been classed as infamis: Jackson (duellist) Truman (financial insolvency; he went bankrupt) Reagan (an actor)probably many others, especially if you count slander, virtually all of them were guilty of that.

[Epictetus]

I think quite a few emperors and empresses could have been classed as infamis, too, if some rumours were correct. But Roman law was a strange beast, and it was not rigidly applied to all people at all times.

[Titus Manlius Verus]

I think it's interesting that just because one was an infamis, it didn't mean that they couldn't be wealthy and famous. The emperor Nero gave his favorite gladiator a villa, wealth, and property equal to that of any senator in Rome.