Titus Quinctius Flamininus, the Man and His Portrayal by Plutarch
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for my father Promotor Prof. dr. Kristoffel Demoen Vakgroep Letterkunde Copromotor dr. Koen De Temmerman Vakgroep Letterkunde Decaan Prof. dr. Freddy Mortier Rector Prof. dr. Paul Van Cauwenberge Illustration on cover: gold stater bearing the image of Flamininus, now on display in the British Museum. On the reverse side: image of Nike and identification of the Roman statesman (“T. Quincti”) © Trustees of the British Museum. Alle rechten voorbehouden. Niets uit deze uitgave mag worden verveelvoudigd, opgeslagen in een geautomatiseerd gegevensbestand, of openbaar gemaakt, in enige vorm of op enige wijze, hetzij elektronisch, mechanisch, door fotokopieën, opnamen, of enige andere manier, zonder voorafgaande toestemming van de uitgever. Faculteit Letteren & Wijsbegeerte Peter Newey Titus Quinctius Flamininus, the Man and his Portrayal by Plutarch Proefschrift voorgedragen tot het behalen van de graad van Doctor in de Taal- en Letterkunde 2012 Foreword It was nearly fifty years ago as an undergraduate that, following a course of lectures on Livy XXXIII, I first met Titus Quinctius Flamininus. Fascinated by the inextricable blend of historicity and personality that emerges from Livy‖s text, I immediately directed my attention toward Polybius 18. Plutarch‖s Life of Flamininus was the next logical step. Although I was not destined to pursue an academic career, the deep impression left on me by these authors endured over the following years. Hence, finally, with the leisure and a most gratefully accepted opportunity, my thesis. My thanks are due initially to Dr T.A. Dorey, who inspired and nurtured my interest in ancient historiography during my undergraduate years in the University of Birmingham. The copious notes I amassed during his lectures and tutorials, (and which I had the foresight to preserve), have provided invaluable help throughout this project. More recently, I am gratefully indebted to prof. dr. Luc François of the University of Gent for providing me with the opportunity of resurrecting work which had lain dormant for some thirty years and acquiring my licentiaatsdiploma. More recently still, I acknowledge the unsolicited help and encouragement I have received from prof. dr. Freddy Decreus, prof. dr. Marc De Groote, prof. dr. Mark Janse, prof. dr. Wim Verbaal and prof. dr. Gunnar De Boel. Prof. dr. Luc Van der Stockt from the University of Leuven has also provided invaluable assistance with his constructive points of criticism and suggestions in response to my various reports to the DBC. I am also grateful to Prof. drs. Koen Verboven and Arjan Zuiderhoek for their advice concerning Roman foreign policy after the Hannibalic War and Roman expansion into the East during the following two decades. This project would not have been possible without invaluable assistance provided by Dr. Koen Temmerman, especially on the notions of character and characterization in ancient Greek literature, moralism, and literary theory. Special thanks must be reserved for my director of studies, prof. dr. Kristoffel Demoen, first for accepting me as a student, but most particularly for the fund of knowledge I have v acquired under his tutelage, along with the awareness of how best to assess and effectively to apply it. Last, but not least, I am deeply indebted to my wife, Dominique, for the moral support she has so patiently and selflessly unselfishly provided, especially during the more difficult moments. vi Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Objective .................................................................................................................................... 1 Rome in the East, 200-146 B.C. ................................................................................................ 2 Titus Quinctius Flamininus in the Research of the Last Century. ..................................... 9 Plutarch‖s Parallel Lives ......................................................................................................... 17 The Notion of φιλοτιμία ........................................................................................................ 19 Chapter 1 FLAMININUS IN WRITERS OTHER THAN PLUTARCH .................................... 21 1.1 The Literary Sources .................................................................................................... 21 1.1.1 The Major Sources ............................................................................................ 22 1.1.2 The Minor Sources ........................................................................................... 28 1.2 A Reconstruction of Flamininus‖ Eastern Career from the above Literary Sources ........................................................................................................................... 35 1.2.1 Flamininus‖ Arrival in Greece and his first Encounter with Philip ........... 35 1.2.2 The Romans invade Thessaly .......................................................................... 38 1.2.3 Flamininus and Philip at Nicaea in Locris ..................................................... 40 1.2.4 Nabis of Sparta .................................................................................................. 47 1.2.5 Early spring, 197. Nabis takes possession of Argos. First encounter with Flamininus. ............................................................................................... 48 1.2.6 Cynoscephalae .................................................................................................. 51 1.2.7 Peace Negotiations at Tempe ......................................................................... 53 1.2.8 Flamininus and the Assassination of Brachylles .......................................... 58 1.2.9 Flamininus proclaims the Independence of the Greek States at the Isthmian Games. ............................................................................................... 69 1.2.10 Flamininus and the Allied Campaign against Nabis .................................... 73 1.2.11 Early winter, 195: The Nemean Games .......................................................... 82 1.2.12 Flamininus announces the Withdrawal of all Roman Forces from Greece. ................................................................................................................ 83 1.2.13 Flamininus‖ Triumph ....................................................................................... 87 1.2.14 Flamininus and Antiochus‖ Envoys in Rome ................................................ 88 1.2.15 Flamininus and the Aetolians ......................................................................... 96 vii 1.2.16 Flamininus and the Assassination of the Macedonian Prince Demetrius .......................................................................................................... 99 Recapitulation ....................................................................................................................... 115 Chapter 2 PHILOPOEMEN ................................................................................................. 119 2.1 A Brief Summary of Philopoemen‖s Career before his first Encounter with Flamininus ................................................................................................................... 120 2.1.1 Philopoemen in Crete (221- 211/10) ............................................................ 121 2.1.2 Philopoemen and the Emergence of Achaean Independence from Macedon........................................................................................................... 122 2.1.3 The alleged plot by Philip to have Philopoemen assassinated ................ 125 2.1.4 The War against Nabis and Philopoemen‖s Second Departure for Crete ................................................................................................................. 127 2.2 The Rivalry between Flamininus and Philopoemen ............................................. 132 2.2.1 Philopoemen and The Achaean War ........................................................... 132 2.2.2 The Nature and the Extent of Flamininus‖ Resentment ........................... 135 2.2.3 Philopoemen‖s ongoing Opposition to Flamininus‖ Policy in the Peloponnese .................................................................................................... 139 2.3 Deterioration in Relations between Rome and the Achaean League .................. 145 2.4 The Death of Philopoemen ........................................................................................ 149 2.5 A Jibe by Flamininus, mocking the Appearance of Philopoemen ....................... 150 2.6 Concluding Remarks .................................................................................................. 152 Chapter 3 FLAMININUS IN PLUTARCH ........................................................................... 155 3.1 The Life of Titus Quinctius Flamininus .................................................................... 156 3.1.1 Introductory Chapter .................................................................................... 156 3.1.2 Flamininus‖ Consular Campaign .................................................................. 163 3.1.3 Flamininus Imperator supersedes Villius ................................................... 166 3.1.4 The Battle for Control of the Aoi Stena ....................................................... 169 3.1.5 Military