A theme I found when reading this piece of literature was political stratification. There were a few types of Romans: noble political leaders, equestrians, and slaves. The political leaders held the highest ranks in society. The equestrians did not hold political offices, but instead knew politicians personally. The slaves' only connection to political leaders was when they were required to serve them.
As a whole, the Romans were a wealthy people. They put dignity and duty on a pedestal and highly regarded art, literature, and philosophy. In this reading, the author, Ammianus Marcellinus, speaks about how the culture responds to different things that happen in society. At one point he states that the wealthy treat their horses like they are disposable. I am paraphrasing, of course, but I think that gives us a pretty good picture of their society that they would consider transportation animals something of low importance.
As I read this material, I was forced to stop and ponder this society. How was it that you were either the elite or a slave? Their "middle-class" is considered our "upper-class." They were so rich and took it for granted.
But that is just like Americans today. We don't even realize how rich we are, yet we treat our stuff like we are rich enough to replace it any time. We are never content, always wanting more. How is it that we never have enough?
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