So as the title says, I'm working on writing a story about a Roman (centurion?) investigating reports of Christians setting fires and making people disappear. Since it's a detective story, it's a lot more complicated and conspiratorial than it appears, and plays into the historical doubt as to who or what caused the burning of Rome.
That said, I have some questions:
1.Would the equivalent of a private eye / low-level beat cop be a Centurion, or someone else? Did Roman Centurions have a "beat" to walk, or were they more of protectors of property than people?
2.How was it culturally and politically looked upon if a member of the Senate was taking bribes? Was there a system in place to remove a Senator or fight Senate corruption? Were Senate members representative of districts, and if so, how many were there to represent solely Rome?
3.How much of the Christian persecution is on record? Is there any truth to Christians being thrown to lions, or Christians hiding out in the catacombs under Rome? Was Christianity seen as a cult of dangerous extremists, or just an unpopular religion?
4.Did Roman law codify "arson," as a specific crime, or did they simply have laws against destruction of property?
5.How were slaves treated, both personally and culturally? Was it treated like a shitty blue collar job, or was it oppressive, violent, and shameful?
6.What was life as a Gladiator really like? Was it like being a sports star today, or was it like being the bull at a bullfight? Was there a way to quit being a gladiator, or were you one for life?
7.How common was prostitution in Rome, and how were sex workers viewed?
8.How common were fourtune-telling sessions or visits to an oracle? Were prophecies treated very seriously?
9.What were the Roman laws regarding gambling? Was it accepted, looked down upon, or outright illegal?
Sorry for the tons of questions, and thanks for your patience and expertise! If there is a book that could answer these questions, please recommend it! I'm going to try to do as much research as possible before starting this story.
Each urban cohort was commanded by one tribune and six centurions. I suppose that would make a centurion like a captain in a modern police department? At the bottom of the hierarchy was the miles, "soldier." Rome was also policed by the vigiles (organized along similar lines) and the aediles (aristocrats who appointed subordinates, many of them slaves). The vigiles served as something like firemen, so more relevant if we're talking arson. The aediles were more like a vice squad, at least in the first century. Traditionally, however, the aediles had some responsibility over policing religion in Rome (aedilis comes from aedis, "temple"), so might be relevant if we're talking about the suppression of superstitio. NB: law enforcement in the ancient world was VERY different from law enforcement today, in so far as it most often depended on self-regulation. See Wilfried Nippel, Public Order in Ancient Rome.
Bribery was against the law, ESPECIALLY if it impacted an election. However, the laws against bribery were not always enforced. They were most often enforced against provincial governors. See Tact., Annals 14.28; Digest 48.11. Senators did not represent districts (for the most part); they represented the people of Rome. They became senators by appointment or by holding certain offices.
There is very little evidence of "high intensity persecution" (e.g., Christians being thrown to the lions) outside Christian sources, at least prior to the third century. All of those things DID happen, but in the first century persecution was sporadic and limited in scope. A Christian who refused to offer sacrifices could be sentenced to death, though a rescript issued by Trajan placed serious limits on inquisitio (further qualified under Hadrian, who set severe penalties for false accusations). Those first century Romans who knew about Christians (remember, there weren't THAT many of them...) thought they were weird and ridiculous. Some thought they were dangerous. For a good sense of what Romans thought about Christians in the first century, see Robert Louis Wilken's The Christians as the Romans Saw Them.
Yes, incendium was a specific crime. There was a great deal of legislation on it.
It ran the gamut. Slaves on a latifundium were, judging from agricultural manuals, treated horrendously. Other slaves -- especially those with specialized skills, like craftsmen, doctors, and secretaries -- were allowed a degree of autonomy, lived in relative comfort, and could even achieve significant rank. However, shame was always attached to being a slave (or former slave). The Banquet of Trimalchio in Petronius' Satyricon makes this very clear: Trimalchio is, despite his wealth and power, an object of ridicule.
It depended on the gladiator's skill, his owner, the arena in which he competed, etc. etc. Some were treated like sports stars. Others were treated as grist for the mill. There was usually some shame attached: See Seneca, Mor. 70.20-1 on the gladiator who commits suicide with a toilet brush.
Prostitution was common and perfectly legal, albeit subject to certain regulations. As for how they were viewed, like gladiators, some achieved prestige and some were used and cast aside. If you're approaching this from the perspective of law enforcement, see Thomas A. J. McGinn, The Economy of Prostitution in the Roman World.
Judging from the huge amount of archaeological evidence, it was fairly common for every sort of person to consult fortune tellers, oracles, etc. Divination was one of the most important parts of Roman religion. Prophecies were taken VERY seriously. My favorite: When a woodpecker landed on the head of the praetor Aelius, the soothsayer summoned to interpret the prodigy told him that, if the bird lived, his family would prosper but the city would decline. Without a second thought, Aelius bit off the woodpecker's head (Val. Max., Facta et dicta mem. 5.6.4). Some doubted, but Roman literature is full of examples of foolish men who ignored the auspices & were punished by the gods.
See the chapter on gambling in J.P. Toner, Leisure and Ancient Rome. Gambling was considered a vice, but there weren't many laws regulating it.