14. The Romans practiced population control in reverse
The Romans had no intention of creating relatively small city-states with balanced populations and resources. The republic and later the empire were from the onset focused on expansion and growth. Conquering new lands required large armies, as did control them while exploiting their resources. The term Lex Iulia, (Julian Laws) referred to laws enacted by any member of the Julian dynasty, but most often are used to refer to a series of laws covering class and marriage enacted by Augustus in 18 and 17 BCE. The laws were intended to both control who married and to whom and encouraged marriage and children.
One of the first of the Augustan Julian Laws, enacted in 18 BCE, made marriage across class boundaries a crime. The law had the unfortunate effect of contributing to the practice of more wealthy Romans keeping concubines. Augustus enacted the law to encourage morality in marriage, and thus achieved in many cases the opposite. Concubines in ancient Rome (both male and female) were recognized by the state, as existing due to the restrictions on marriage based on class status. Most often women of lower classes were kept as concubines, whether the person keeping them was married or not.