“Although commenting on issues of current importance was more common.”

This may well have made it more rather than less democratic than many countries today .

Thus the Western Empire died.

The story of the fifth century was one of the exploitation of imperial weakness.

Only rarely did they advocate specific policies.

By pagans the Jews (and later Christians) were seen as perverse.

Almost indeed as atheists, for they denied the very existence of other gods.

In the main voters looked more for a capable individual who once elected could do whatever the State required.

At Rome there were nothing even vaguely resembling modern political parties although given the stifling impact of these.

And each candidate for office competed as an individual.