Panem et circenses (Latin for bread and circuses) was a term coined by the Roman poet and satirist, Juvenal, in the first century (C.E.) as a metaphor for the efforts by Roman politicians to appease discontent and essentially distract citizens from the present woes which resulted in their discontent in the first place.
It was not an uncommon practice around the turn of the millennium for Roman officials to give out free wheat to citizens and put on a spectacle to distract the populous and gain political power:
