Roman power in the perception of the empire's population (I-II a.d.)

The aim of the research is the identification and analysis of socio-cultural, political and concrete historical factors that influenced the formation of the image of power in the eyes of the population of the early Roman Empire and the nature of communication between the bearers of power and society. The specifics of the perception of specific rulers and power in general by various categories of people were determined by the peculiarities of their position in the social hierarchy, the nature of the structure of the Roman state, and partly by official propaganda, which built a certain image of both the ruler himself and the entire state, as well as individual circumstances that the emperor had to face. The emperor was in different hierarchical relationships with citizens, soldiers, provincials, freedmen and slaves; the scope of his power was not the same in relation to these groups. As a result, there was no single image of power for the entire population of the Mediterranean state. It was often influenced by local traditions of power perception.