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Aristocratic Identities in the Roman Senate from the Social War to the Flavian Dynasty

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Aristocratic Identities in the Roman Senate from the Social War to the Flavian Dynasty Aristocratic Identities in the Roman Senate From the Social War to the Flavian Dynasty By Jessica J. Stephens A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Greek and Roman History) in the University of Michigan 2016 Doctoral Committee: Professor David Potter, chair Professor Bruce W. Frier Professor Richard Janko Professor Nicola Terrenato [Type text] [Type text] © Jessica J. Stephens 2016 Dedication To those of us who do not hesitate to take the long and winding road, who are stars in someone else’s sky, and who walk the hillside in the sweet summer sun. ii [Type text] [Type text] Acknowledgements I owe my deep gratitude to many people whose intellectual, emotional, and financial support made my journey possible. Without Dr. T., Eric, Jay, and Maryanne, my academic career would have never begun and I will forever be grateful for the opportunities they gave me. At Michigan, guidance in negotiating the administrative side of the PhD given by Kathleen and Michelle has been invaluable, and I have treasured the conversations I have had with them and Terre, Diana, and Molly about gardening and travelling. The network of gardeners at Project Grow has provided me with hundreds of hours of joy and a respite from the stress of the academy. I owe many thanks to my fellow graduate students, not only for attending the brown bags and Three Field Talks I gave that helped shape this project, but also for their astute feedback, wonderful camaraderie, and constant support over our many years together. Due particular recognition for reading chapters, lengthy discussions, office friendships, and hours of good company are the following: Michael McOsker, Karen Acton, Beth Platte, Trevor Kilgore, Patrick Parker, Anna Whittington, Gene Cassedy, Ryan Hughes, Ananda Burra, Tim Hart, Matt Naglak, Garrett Ryan, and Ellen Cole Lee. This is also the place to express my deepest thanks to my advisor, David Potter, whose intellectual guidance was outstanding and whose unending support gave me the confidence I needed during a particularly trying time in my life. I also thank Bruce Frier for his keen commentary, dry wit, and kindness. Nic Terrenato, Sara Forsdyke, Ray Van Dam, and Ruth Scodel made me a better scholar through their graduate courses and my work with them individually. I will forever be grateful to Richard Janko for his support, terrifying command of English, and our shared love of gardens and cats. Last but certainly far from least, I cannot thank Chelsea Del Rio enough for her constant friendship, defense note-taking, and many beer lunches, Bill’s outings, and Old Town evenings. To Stephanie Smith, I give my thanks not only for her commentary on chapter drafts but also her encouragement from across the pond. My family deserves special recognition for their love and support throughout my long journey to this point. Thank you to my father, Mark, for reading every word of my dissertation, to my mother, Ann, and sister, Holly, for listening and sending love from afar, and to Alex, for being my partner through it all. My thanks also to Vincent, the most constant writing companion. There are many others whom I have probably failed to include here, but it is not because I am unappreciative. Numerous people make a dissertation possible, in a myriad of ways. My sincere thanks to those named and unnamed and, needless to say, all remaining errors are entirely my own. iii Table of Contents Dedication ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ iii Abstract .................................................................................................................................. vi Chapter One: Intersections of Identity and Memory in the Roman World ........................................... 1 Identity and Rome ............................................................................................................... 6 Memory, Identity, and Rome .............................................................................................. 9 Memory in Rome: Practice and Studies ............................................................................ 16 Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 18 Overview of Chapters ....................................................................................................... 20 Two: Institutions of Memory in Roman Aristocratic Circles ............................................... 23 Institutions of Memory in Roman Aristocratic Life ......................................................... 25 The Roman Senate ............................................................................................................ 27 The Roman Gens ............................................................................................................... 43 Aristocratic Values and Historical Writing ....................................................................... 47 Performance: Triumphs and Funerals ............................................................................... 51 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................... 58 Three: A Tale of Two “Outsiders” ........................................................................................ 60 Cicero and Arpinum .......................................................................................................... 63 Cicero, Aristocratic Values, and the Novus Homo ........................................................... 68 The Roman Senate From the Death of Cicero to the Accession of Augustus .................. 86 Augustus and the Senate ................................................................................................... 90 Augustus and the Gens ...................................................................................................... 97 Augustus and Public Processions (funerals and triumphs) ............................................. 105 Augustus and Aristocratic Values ................................................................................... 115 The Augustan Period and the Inclusiveness of “Tota Italia” .......................................... 117 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................... 126 iv Four: Aristocratic Responses .............................................................................................. 127 The Trouble Between Piso and Germanicus: The Sources and the Events .................... 133 The Gens Calpurnia ........................................................................................................ 144 Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus ................................................................................ 149 Philodemus and Piso ....................................................................................................... 155 The Precedent of Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus ................................................... 160 Calpurnii Pisones During the Civil Wars and in the Early Principate ............................ 161 Tacitus, Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, and the SCP ............................................................... 169 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................... 172 Five: Senators from the Fringes .......................................................................................... 174 The Stoic Opposition to Nero: Seneca, Lucan, and Thrasea Paetus ............................... 178 Senators from the Edges: Northern Italy and Spain ........................................................ 182 Aristocratic Institutions of Memory and the Changing Nobility .................................... 202 Seneca and Cato .............................................................................................................. 208 Cato and Lucan ............................................................................................................... 212 The Memory of Cato Uticensis ....................................................................................... 214 The Pisonian Conspiracy of 65 CE ................................................................................. 222 Cato and Thrasea Paetus ................................................................................................. 225 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................... 228 Six: Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 230 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................... 240 v Abstract The period between the end of the Social War and the Flavian dynasty saw a remarkable change in the composition of the senatorial class at Rome. Waves of new men entered the Roman Senate alongside members of the traditional aristocracy and sought to fundamentally change what it meant to be Roman in order to gain acceptance. A representative of the first wave as an Italian municipal
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