Titus Quinctius Flamininus: Imperialism and the Pursuit of Auctoritas
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University of Nebraska at Omaha DigitalCommons@UNO Student Work 5-1-2002 Titus Quinctius Flamininus: Imperialism and the pursuit of auctoritas Jeffrey Steven Volcheck University of Nebraska at Omaha Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/studentwork Recommended Citation Volcheck, Jeffrey Steven, "Titus Quinctius Flamininus: Imperialism and the pursuit of auctoritas" (2002). Student Work. 411. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/studentwork/411 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Student Work by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TITUS QUINCTIUS FLAMININUS: IMPERIALISM AND THE PURSUIT OF AUCTOR1TAS A Thesis Presented to the Department of History and the Faculty of the Graduate College In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts University of Nebraska at Omaha by Jeffrey S. Volchcck May 2002 UMI Number: EP73049 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI EP73049 Published by ProQuest LLC (2015). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 THESIS ACCEPTANCE Acceptance for the faculty of the Graduate College, University of Nebraska, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts, University of Nebraska at Omaha Committee Chairperson Date_________ JtfH c ' 70*^. 11 TITUS QUINCTIUS FLAMININUS: IMPERIALISM AND THE PURSUIT OF AUCTORITAS Jeffrey S. Volcheck, MA University of Nebraska, 2002 Advisor: Dr. Charles King In the early second century BC, Rome built an empire that encompassed the Western Mediterranean basin and most of the Italic Peninsula. The necessity of using manpower provided by Italian treaties, the desire for economic gain, the differing treatment of Eastern and Western peoples, and especially, the political competition among the nobiles all created the Roman imperialistic war-machine. Growth had its consequences, though, as the Hannibalic War diminished the number of qualified generals, which allowed younger men to assume command of the legions. These circumstances allowed Titus Quinctius Flamininus to rise swiftly through the ranks of Roman Republican politics and develop a highly successful career by exploiting the elements of Roman imperialism. As Rome entered into a new stage of imperialistic development, Flamininus took advantage of the new situation, as Scipio had before him, to create a successful career. In accordance with standard cultural practices, Flamininus unerringly pursuedauctoritas and personal benefit from the outset of his career. Throughout the Second Macedonian and Spartan Wars he manipulated military and political scenarios to retain his command and settle those conflicts before another ambitious Roman could steal his glory. Following his martial exploits, Flamininus continued to compete for political preeminence through his diplomatic work in Greece prior to the Syrian War. After serving as censor, however, Flamininus wisely curtailed his political activity to prevent himself from being the object of jealous rivals. Titus Quinctius Flamininus stands as a notable figure in Roman imperialistic history, whose involvement in Greece helped to continue the expansion of the fledgling empire. His actions in the East have been interpreted as being motivated by philhellenism and duty to allies among other reasons, but Flamininus found his motivation from the desire to effectively compete and succeed within the politico-cultural setting of the middle Republic. To my wife Teresa, without your love and dedication, none of this would have been possible. v TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION__________________________________________________________1 SOURCES...............................................................................................................................2 IMPERIALISM.......................................................................................................................6 THE SECOND MACEDONIAN WAR.............................................................................22 CHAPTER ONE.................... 33 CHAPTER ONE ENDNOTES............................................................................................50 CHAPTER TW O_____________________________________________ 53 CHAPTER TWO ENDNOTES...........................................................................................77 CHAPTER THREE............................................................................................................... 83 CHAPTER THREE ENDNOTES.....................................................................................103 CHAPTER FOUR................................................................................................................ 106 POSTWAR CAREER: PHASE ONE.............................................................................. 107 POSTWAR CAREER: PHASE TW O ......................................... 121 CHAPTER FOUR ENDNOTES....................................................................................... 125 CONCLUSION.....................................................................................................................128 CONCLUSION ENDNOTES........................................................................................... 132 BIBLIOGRAPHY................. 133 ANCIENT SOURCES........................................................................................................ 133 MODERN SOURCES 134 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis is the culmination of a desire I have held since completing my Bachelor’s degree at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. During my junior and senior years I took a course in Roman history and a course on Alexander the Great from Dr. James Ermatinger. They captured my imagination and I wished that they had not come to me so late in my studies. After graduation, I viewed the chance of returning to school to study ancient history as a passing fancy. Almost eight years later, however, circumstances brought me back to Omaha and allowed me the chance to fulfill this dream. I have only finished this project because many people helped me along the way. First, I want to thank the faculty of the Classical Studies Department at Creighton University who helped me in my struggle to learn Latin and Greek. I specifically want to credit Dr. Martha Habash and Fr. Greg Carlson, and I especially wish to express my gratitude to Dr. Geoff Bakewell for his encouragement and extra hours of tutoring. Gratiasl I also would like to thank Dr. Joanne Sowell of the UNO Art Department for graciously agreeing to serve as a member of my thesis committee. Of course, the majority of my appreciation goes to Dr. Charles King and Dr. Jeanne Reames-Zimmerman for mentoring me through this entire process. Prior to their arrival at UNO, my study of the ancient world seemed bleak, at best. But, I could not have been more fortunate than to have both a Roman and a Macedonian scholar join the UNO History faculty since I hoped to study the Hellenistic world. Dr. King enlightened me about Republican Rome and Dr. Reames-Zimmerman conducted me through Greece and Macedonia. They have patiently guided me through the pitfalls and obstacles of writing this thesis, without whose assistance I would not have been equal to the task. I deeply value them sharing their expertise, providing aid to my problems and queries, and being understanding. 1 INTRODUCTION Roman involvement in the East played a definitive role in the growth and collapse of the Republic, and arguably, the survival of Rome after the Western Empire had fallen. Although the reasons why Rome concerned herself with Eastern affairs have been debated endlessly, when Republican Rome encountered states in the East during a period of expansion, she proved herself to be militarily superior to them in every conflict. Minor wars with Illyria and Macedon led finally Rome into the Second Macedonian War, which established Rome as a perpetual participant in Eastern affairs. After assuming the consulship in 198,1 Titus Quinctius Flamininus appears as a pivotal figure in Roman expansion into the East and his impact cannot be underestimated. He spent five years in Hellas fighting two wars before returning to Rome as, arguably, the greatest man in the Republic, albeit for a short time. It seems unnecessary to explain the actions of Flamininus as being motivated by philhellenism, or long-term foreign policy goals, because his motives can be better explained as the actions of an ambitious politician attempting to use the mechanisms of Roman imperialism to advance his short-term career goals within the context of the political system of the second-century Roman Republic. He likewise cannot be dismissed simply as an instrument of the government, performing consular functions prescribed to him by the Senate. Ambition propelled him to seek the highest public honors of the Republic, and Roman imperialism provided the