ABSTRACT
The inability to obtain or purchase a sufficient amount of nutrients and calories has often been seen as a hallmark of poverty. Scholarship on both contemporary and ancient poverty has often taken a monetary approach, focusing primarily on material resources, income, and purchasing power. Large sums of money were of little benefit in the absence of status and social connections for, without them, one had little control over their own life and choices. The Roman emphasis on the social and cultural aspects of poverty aligns closely with our current understanding of it, namely that poverty is as much about income as it is about social participation and personal freedoms. The capabilities approach, originally created by Amartya Sen, focuses on freedoms, rather than income, to look at an individual's ability to live a valued life. The Romans, with their annona and numerous alimenta schemes, are seen as a society aware of poverty, and at times concerned with the poor.
