the city was probably quite comfortable. There is plenty of evidence for the luxurious and expensive villas in and around Antioch in which the elite lived. They controlled the political and economic systems and public life for their own advantage. But for most of the population, life in the Roman-controlled social and economic world was precarious. For most it did not seem divinely blessed at all. Heavy taxes usually paid in goods, limited access to resources, overwork, little margin for natural