
March 44 BCE · Rome · A bakery and the forum’s surroundings
Hearing the republic tremble from a bakery
Lucia, a Roman baker
Deliver the bread while the forum is in turmoil.
People speak of freedom and order, but Lucia has no vote of her own.
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Explore the diagram: Institutions can retain names while power changes
Institutions can retain names while power changes
Does a senate mean every resident can participate in government?

Several institutions coexist with restricted participation.
Power is organised through several institutions
Republican government had a senate and public offices, but excluded groups such as women from formal participation. Institutions do not imply universal rights.
Sources and scope
These illustrations explain processes and institutions rather than reconstructing actual people, buildings or layouts. Cutaways and insets show hidden structures or separate locations.
The Roman Republic ↗Introduction to ancient Rome ↗Lucia, twenty-three, her uncle, customers, bread orders and this day’s movements are fictional. No branch changes Caesar’s assassination. As a woman she cannot vote or hold a magistracy, and she does not participate in Senate proceedings.
Explore the time and placeSources
- The Roman Republic ↗
The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Republican society, expansion and struggles for authority.
- Introduction to ancient Rome ↗
British Museum · Perpetual dictatorship, the assassination coin, civil war and Augustus.
- Roman women’s friendship networks and politics ↗
University of the Basque Country · Women could not hold magistracies or vote in political assemblies, although informal networks could influence politics.