One reason for this exclusivity was that as the Roman state expanded, so did the rewards of being Roman and of holding office in Rome. This is not to say that Rome was corrupt, because ‘corruption’ implies an alternative system to be corrupted. In ancient Rome nepotism, back-scratching, and the exchange of favours did not corrupt the system – they actually were the system. Without them the administration could not function. The senate was very much an ‘old-boy network’ and took pride in that fact. If a man had done a senator a favour – such as giving him an interest-free loan – not only would
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