The Breakdown of the Roman Republic: from Oligarchy to Empire Christopher S

Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-51819-2 - The Breakdown of the Roman Republic: From Oligarchy to Empire Christopher S. Mackay Frontmatter More information

THE BREAKDOWN OF THE ROMAN REPUBLIC

From Oligarchy to Empire

In this book, Christopher S. Mackay recounts the last century of the Roman Republic in a readable narrative treatment. Within this narrative he analyzes the breakdown of the traditional Republican form of government as a result of the administrative and political crises brought about by the Roman conquest of the Mediterranean basin in the Middle Republic. He also shows how the many reforms instituted by Augustus, which effectively created the new imperial form of government, were a reaction to the failings of the Republic. Illustrated with an extensive collection of coin images that document the changes in contemporary political ideology, this volume also focuses on the political significance of the key personalities, includ- ing Marius, Sulla, and Caesar, who played a large role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic.

Christopher S. Mackay is a professor in the Department of History and Classics at the University of Alberta.

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-51819-2 - The Breakdown of the Roman Republic: From Oligarchy to Empire Christopher S. Mackay Frontmatter More information

THE BREAKDOWN OF THE ROMAN REPUBLIC

FROM OLIGARCHY TO EMPIRE

Christopher S. Mackay University of Alberta

cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo

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First published 2009

Printed in the United States of America

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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication data Mackay, Christopher S., 1962– The breakdown of the Roman republic:from oligarchy to empire / Christopher Mackay. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-0-521-51819-2 (hardback) 1. Rome – History – Republic, 265–30 b.c. 2. Rome – Politics and government – 265–30 b.c. I. Title. dg254.m25 2009 973Ł.05–dc22 2008048943

isbn 978-0-521-51819-2 Hardback

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Kelliae meae coniugi atque adiutrici optime de me merenti

Contents

Abbreviations page ix Maps xi

Introduction 1 1 Historical Background 10 2 Tribunate of Ti. Gracchus 36 3 Tribunates of C. Gracchus 58 4 Numidia,SenatorialFailures,andtheRiseofC.Marius 84 5 Ascendancy of C. Marius 100 6 The Italian Allies, M. Livius Drusus, and the Social War 118 7 Sulla, Marius, and Civil War 134 8 Roman Territorial Expansion before the First Mithridatic War 147 9 First Mithridatic War 161 10 Sulla’s Victory in Civil War 173 11 Sulla’s Settlement 185 12 The 70s b.c.: Attacks on the Sullan Regime and the Rise of Pompey 196 13 Third Mithridatic War, War with the Pirates, and the Ascendancy of Pompey 210 14 The 60s b.c.: Rome in the Absence of Pompey 222

vii

– Contents –

15 Consulship of Cicero 229 16 Consulship of C. Caesar 238 17 Caesar in Gaul 252 18 Last Decade of the Free Republic 263 19 Civil War and Caesar’s Victory 285 20 Caesar’s Domination and Assassination 304 21 Turmoil after the Ides of March 315 22 Struggle of the Warlords 337 23 Final Showdown 351 24 The Augustan Settlement and the “Restored” Republic 362 Epilogue 397

Appendix: Roman Nomenclature 405 Chronology 413 SuggestionsforFurtherReading,AncientandModern 421 Bibliography 433 Index 435

Illustrations of Roman coinage follow page 294.

viii

Abbreviations

BMCRR:Grueber, Coins of the Roman Republic OGIS:Dittenberger, Orientis Graeci Inscriptiones Selectae RRC:Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage RS:Crawford, Roman Statutes

IRELAND

BRITAIN

Don Rhine English Channel ATLANTIC OCEAN

GALLIA Danube Caspian COMATA PANNO Sea (58) ( NIA P S 16) L A CISALPINE ILLYRICUM NARBONENSIS GAUL NEARER (CA. 80) (CA. 120) Black Sea SPAIN (59) (197) CORSICA FURTHER TUS PON MACEDONIA AND SPAIN (146) NIA HY (64) (197) BIT GALATIA (25) Baetis SARDINIA ASIA (133) 02) (227) CA. 1 IA ( LIC Maeander CI SYRIA SICILY (64) AFRICA (227) (146) CYPRUS CRETE (ANNEXED TO (67) CILICIA, 57) Mediterranean Sea

CYRENAICA (74) EGYPT (30)

Ne SAHARA il 0 250 500 miles Red Sea 0 250 500 kilometers

Map 1. Major Provinces

S P L A

CISALPINE

Vercellae GAUL

I Mutina L Bononia L Y Rubicon Luca R Ariminum I UMBRIA C A U Ancona d Tiber r M P i a Volaterrae I t C i Perugia E c N E Asculum S T Clusium I e U a R I U M I I N R I N C ST RU I A VE R Fucine MA P Lake A Corfinium E L F-R I G E N TNAIN CORSICA Rome Praeneste MARSI I LATIUM Arpinum Ostia Aesernia Bovillae Velitrae Fregellae Borianum Ausculum Sacriportus Venatrum SAMNITES A PU Beneventum LI A Minturnae Capua Teanum Sidicinum Nola Brundisium Misenum Mt. Vesuvius Puteoli Tarentum C Naples Grumentum A LA B R LUCANIA I A

BU SARDINIA Tyrrhenian RT Sea TU

Ionian Naulochus Sea

M e SICILY d i t e r r a Syracuse n e Utica a n Carthage S e a AFRICA 0 50 100 miles 0 50 100 kilometers

Map 2. Italy

North Sea

Elbe Teutoburg Forest BRITAIN E A G GERMANY L Rhine E B l English Channe ATLANTIC Seine Dan OCEAN ube V EN E T I ire Lo AEDUI PANNONIA HELVETII S GE GAUL O P S BR Gergovia O L LL A A CISALPINE I Vercellae GAUL LL A YR Uxellodunum d I C Aquae r i UM Tolosa Sextiae at Arausio i c Massilia S AUQ ea CELTIBERI ITA Narbo Martius N I Rome ITALY I Corsica Numantia Brundisium N Tarentum Naples SPAIN IA I C I S. S R EA SARDINIA U L A LT B M e d i t e r r SICILY a Syracuse Munda Utica n e Carthage a Cirta n Hadrumentum Thapsus NUMIDIA S e AFRICA a

MAURETANIA TRIPOLITANIA

SAHARA

0 100 200 miles 0 100 200 kilometers

Map 3. Western Europe

C a s p i Crimea a n

S e Danube CAUCASUS a I L L Y COLCHIS R Black Sea I C BALKANS U M A d r i a S t i TU c THRACE PAPHLYGONIA PON ARMENIA S Heraclea Cabira ea Byzantium Zela Dastira/Nicopolis Dyrrhacium Philippi BITHYNIA MACEDONIA MEDIA ITALY Brundisium Ancyra Apollonia Tigranocerta Tarentum E Cyzicus T I A Phraaspes P Dardanus A L a I A G R S Lemnos U IA S THESSALY ASIA MINOR Lesbos Pergamum CAPPADOCIA NORTH Pitane A Nicopolis Pharsalus E Mytilene G I MESOPOTAMIA Actium U Thyatira RY BO PH Nisibis PARTHIA/PERSIA E Smyrna M A P I A Carrhae I L I C Athens Delos C E S T AMPHYL E ig PELOPONNESUS IA IA u r R Antioch p O is Sparta AU P hr LYCIA S H a I syria te P Cnidos O s O Rhodes Laodicea E N

RHODES s T

I CYPRUS e Ctesiphon C t A

n I

A o M r O Seleucia I CRETE A

Damascus Tyre Mediterranean Sea

JUDAEA Jerusalem Cyrene Persian Alexandria Gulf

CYRENAICA

ARABIA e l i

0 50 200 miles Red 0 50 200 kilometers Sea

Map 4. Greece and the Near East

A I N Philippi O D E C A M

LEMNOS

CORCYRA L Y S A E S H T Ambracian Pharsalus Aegean Sea Gulf Nicopolis Actium

Orchomenos EUBOEA Chaeronea Copiac Lake BO E O T I A A Patrae T Eleusis T Megara I Athens C Corinth Piraeus A PELOPONNESOS

Sparta Ionian Sea Methone

0 50 100 miles 0 50 100 kilometers

Map 5. Greece

THE BREAKDOWN OF THE ROMAN REPUBLIC

From Oligarchy to Empire