Reeds Decennia Lang Proberen Historici En Wetenschappers Aan Te Tonen of De Romeinse Republiek Al Dan Niet Een Democratische Politiek Kende

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Reeds Decennia Lang Proberen Historici En Wetenschappers Aan Te Tonen of De Romeinse Republiek Al Dan Niet Een Democratische Politiek Kende Titus Annius Milo en het democratische gedachtegoed van Rome in de Late Republiek: een onderzoek. 1 Universiteit Gent Faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte Blandijnberg 9000 Gent Titus Annius Milo en het democratische gedachtegoed van Rome in de Late Republiek: een onderzoek Promotor: Prof. Dr. Verboven K. Scriptie voorgedragen door: Tom HEBBRECHT 2007 – 2008 Tot het behalen van het diploma van Master in de Geschiedenis Titus Annius Milo en het democratische gedachtegoed van Rome in de Late Republiek: een onderzoek. 2 Inhoudsopgave 1. Woord vooraf p. 3 2. Inleiding: perspectief en omkadering p. 4 3. Een kijk op het politieke landschap van de Late Republiek p. 18 3.1 De politieke situatie in Rome voor 57 v. Chr. p. 18 3.2 Een kijk op het dagelijkse leven in Rome in de Late Republiek p. 23 3.2.1 Milo als homo novus? p. 24 3.2.2 De macht van de Senaat: fictie of realiteit? p. 25 3.2.3 Het clientessysteem: een korte beschouwing p. 29 3.2.4 De magistraturen en de comitia p. 32 3.2.5 Optimates versus Populares p. 35 3.2.6 Milo als homo novus: besluit p. 39 4. Milo als vertegenwoordiger van het volk p. 42 4.1 De verbanning van Cicero p. 42 4.1.1 De volksvergaderingen en de macht van het volk p. 42 4.1.2 Milo, Pompeijaan? De rol van politieke allianties p. 67 4.2 De machtstrijd tussen Clodius Pulcher en Annius Milo p. 76 5. Milo en verkiezingen: de strijd om de hogere ambten p. 80 5.1 De contiones in het debat rond het democratische gedachtegoed in de Late Republiek p. 80 5.2 Milo en verkiezingen in de Late Republiek p. 94 5.3 Het einde van de amicitia van Milo en Pompeius p. 106 6. De moord te Bovillae: Milo en de rechtspraak in de Late Republiek p. 109 6.1 De moord op de Via Appia: het einde van de vete tussen Milo en Clodius p. 109 6.2 Een korte kijk op het juridische systeem in de Romeinse Republiek p. 111 6.3 De Pro Milone onder de loep: een zoektocht naar de vox populi in de rechtspraak p. 118 6.4 Een veranderende politieke situatie na de dood van Clodius p. 125 6.5 De verbanning naar Massilia en de dood van Milo p. 128 7. Conclusie p. 131 8. Selectieve biografie p. 134 Titus Annius Milo en het democratische gedachtegoed van Rome in de Late Republiek: een onderzoek. 3 1. Woord vooraf Deze scriptie is tot stand gekomen in het kader van het behalen van een diploma Master in de Geschiedenis aan de Universiteit Gent in het academiejaar 2007 – 2008. Ik ben erg veel dankbaarheid verschuldigd aan al diegenen die me hielpen tijdens de verschillende delen van mijn onderzoek. Eerst en vooral moet ik mijn promotor Prof. Dr. Verboven bedanken voor zijn advies, zijn aanmoedigingen en zijn aanwijzingen gedurende het jaar. Daarnaast wil ik ook graag zijn collega‟s Prof. Dr. D. Pickhaus en Dr. A. van Zuiderhoek bedanken voor hun tips en hun luisterend oor. Verder wil ik de medewerkers van het departement Antieke geschiedenis bedanken voor hun bereidwilligheid en vriendelijkheid. Ten slotte wil ik graag vrienden en familie bedanken voor hun steun en schouderklopjes en in het bijzonder mijn ouders die steeds klaar voor me stonden en me kritisch steunden in mijn bevindingen. Tom Hebbrecht Gent, juli 2008. Titus Annius Milo en het democratische gedachtegoed van Rome in de Late Republiek: een onderzoek. 4 2. Inleiding: perspectief en omkadering Reeds decennia lang proberen historici en wetenschappers aan te tonen of de Romeinse Republiek al dan niet een democratische politiek kende. Deze vraag kent zijn wortels in het ideologische gedachtegoed van enkele hedendaagse historici die de democratie als summum en ultiem eindpunt van de ontwikkelende staat beschouwen.1 Het is dan ook niet verwonderlijk dat menig historici wil graven naar soortgelijke tendensen doorheen de geschiedenis en de vele politieke systemen uit het verleden wil onderzoeken naar aanwijzingen en sporen van (vroeg) democratische principes. Terwijl in de Griekse poleis de democratische principes wortelen in de wetteksten van Solon en Perikles, werd lange tijd gezocht naar soortgelijke idealen in de Romeinse samenleving. In de laatste jaren opperden vele wetenschappers dat ze bewijzen hebben gevonden die duiden op een democratisch gedachtegoed in het Romeinse Republiek. Zodoende zouden de vele politieke instellingen en magistraten worden geduid als instrumenten van een democratie die de letterlijke betekenis van de Res Publica onderlijnt.2 Hun bevindingen werden met veel bravoure door medestanders onthaald, maar evenzeer sceptisch benaderd door tegenstanders.3 In dit werkstuk wil ik door middel van een casestudy de verschillende argumenten die voor en tegen de democratisering van de Romeinse Republiek pleiten tegen elkaar afwegen en met een kritische kijk benaderen. De uitgewezen kandidaat hiervoor is Titus Annius Milo, een jonge Romeinse burger die Lanuvium verliet4 om te Rome een politieke carrière aan te vangen en al vlug verstrikt raakte in het web van intriges en bondgenootschappen die de laatste jaren van de Republiek tot een gevaarlijk steekspel maakten. Milo wist zich al vlug van de steun van Pompeius te verzekeren die als één van de triumviri heel wat invloed kon uitoefenen op de politieke situatie die na het verraad van Catilina baadde in een zweem van ongekende angst voor samenzweringen en een destabilisatie van de Republiek. Gestaag zette hij zijn eerste stappen in de politiek toen hij in 57 als volkstribuun werd verkozen en meewerkte aan de rogatio om M.T. Cicero uit ballingschap terug te halen. Niet lang daarna wist hij voor Pompeius de controle over de graandistributie in de wacht te slepen. Dit alles zette kwaad bloed bij Milo‟s grootste tegenstander P. Clodius Pulcher, die door zijn ingenieuze wetsvoorstellen de steun van het plebs urbana voor zich wist te winnen en als demagoog de bevolking wist te mobiliseren om hun stem te laten doorwegen bij politieke beslissingen. 1 Fukuyama (F.) Het einde van de geschiedenis en de laatste mens. Amsterdam, 1999, pp. 14-15. 2 Met als meest prestigieuze studie en grootste adept: Miller (F.) The Crowd in Rome in the Late Republic. Michigan, 1998. 3 e.g. Mouritsen (H.) Plebs and Politics in the Late Republic. Cambridge, 2001., Jehne (M.) Demokratie in Rom? Die Rolle des Volkes in der Politik der römischen Republik. Historia Einzelschriften 96, Stuttgart, 1995, pp. 51-76. 4 Cic. Mil. 64. en Wiseman (T.P.) New Men in the Roman Senate. p. 195 Titus Annius Milo en het democratische gedachtegoed van Rome in de Late Republiek: een onderzoek. 5 De Senaat zag dit met lede ogen aan, maar stond machteloos tegen deze nieuwe tendens. Al vlug werd Milo ingezet om Clodius‟ succes op een gewelddadige manier te doorbreken. Beiden zouden sterk afhankelijk worden van bendes en stoottroepen die elkaar openlijk bekampten en het leven van zowel de modale burger als de heersende politieke klasse overhoop gooiden. Niet enkel werd geweld aangewend om aan politiek te doen, maar ook om de bevolking en medekandidaten te intimideren. De Late Republiek kende de bloei van de oratoren, de redenaars die vanaf de Rostra, het spreekgestoelte in de vorm van een voorsteven van een schip op het Forum Romanum, de bevolking toespraken en de toeschouwers van de contiones probeerden te overtuigen om zich achter een nieuw wetsvoorstel of een politieke kandidaat te scharen. Zodoende was er contact tussen de hogere klassen van de maatschappij en janmodaal. Het Forum was hiervoor de ideale plaats. De grote wegen die door de stad liepen, kruisten er elkaar en de senatoren en volkstribunen kwamen er debatteren en stemmen over de verschillende wetsvoorstellen.5 Het was tevens een belangrijke doorstroomroute voor goederen en mensen die zich naar de verschillende wijken, vici, montes en pagi begaven die door de enorme bevolkingsgroei van de eerste eeuw voor Christus overbevolkt waren6 en kreunden onder hooggebouwde insulae waarin verschillende families van plebejers samenhokten en in vaak erg onhygiënische toestanden hun dagelijkse leven leden. Op de Palatijn baadde de hogere stand, in vergelijking tot hun soortgenoten in houten huurkazernes, in luxe; hun stenen villa‟s vormden het decor voor een intense huiscultuur. De nobilitas keken vanuit hun hoger gelegen huizen letterlijk neer op het plebs urbana. Gevoed door een snobistische minachting die de adel met de paplepel had meegekregen, had de Romeinse aristocratie weinig goede woorden over voor hun medeburgers van iets lagere komaf. Het proletariaat werd door Cicero met weinig meer dan “gepeupel”, “wanordelijke bende” of “de troep” beschreven.7 Brood en spelen boden de enige motivatie voor het plebs om hun dagelijkse miserie te doen vergeten. Het is dan ook zeer de vraag of de aristocratie überhaupt gehoor wilde geven aan de vox populi. Het democratische gedachtegoed in de Late Republiek, mits deze bestond, berustte op een broze fundatie. Sallustius wees erop dat de plebejers een inferioriteit kenden ten opzichte van de elite omdat ze minder goed georganiseerd waren en niets konden beginnen zonder het leiderschap van de hogere klassen.8 De elite hield hen onder controle door een uitgekiend netwerk van banden en relaties en konden zo comitia en vergaderingen 5 DeWitt (N.W.) Litigation in the Forum in Cicero‟s Time. Classical Philology, Vol. 21, n°3, 1926, pp. 219-221. 6 Patterson (J.) “Politics in the late republic.” Roman Political Life 90BC-AD69. Wiseman (T.P.) (ed.) , 1985 p. 21-43. 7 Gruen (E.S.) The Last Generation of the Roman Republic. University of California Press. Berkeley, London, Los Angeles, 1974, p 358. 8 Brunt (P.A.) “The Roman Mob” Past and Present, n° 35, 1966, p. 22. Titus Annius Milo en het democratische gedachtegoed van Rome in de Late Republiek: een onderzoek.
Recommended publications
  • “With Friends Like This, Who Needs Enemies?”
    “With friends like this, who needs enemies?” POMPEIUS ’ ABANDONMENT OF HIS FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS There are well-known examples of Pompeius’ abandonment of his supporters: Marcus Tullius Cicero and Titus Annius Milo spring readily to mind. One could even include Pompeius’ one- time father-in-law Gaius Iulius Caesar among the number, I suppose. Theirs was a fairly spectacular falling out, leading to the final collapse of the ailing and civil-war-torn Roman republic. The bond between them, forged by the marriage of Caesar’s daughter Julia in 59 and maintained by a delicate and precarious support of each other in the first half of the 50s, was not broken by Julia’s death in childbirth in 54. Having no sons of his own, Caesar had named his son-in-law as principal heir in his will, and his name was not removed until five years later * on the outbreak of the civil war ( Passage 1 : Suet. Iul. 83.1-2), by which time Pompeius had manoeuvred himself – or had he perhaps been manoeuvred? – over to the side of the senatorial conservatives in his endless pursuit of their recognition and acceptance of him as the leading man in the state. The leitmotif of Pompeius’ manoeuvres throughout his career was an overriding concern for the personal political advantage of every move he made – what would best get him ahead in this pursuit of recognition. One of the things which shows this to good effect is his series of marriages – five of them in all. So I will begin my examination of Pompeius’ abandonment of connections, not with an obvious political supporter, but with his dealings with his first two wives, which had sad consequences for both of the ladies involved, as it turned out.
    [Show full text]
  • SPEECH in DEFENCE of TITUS ANNIUS MILO Marcus Tullius Cicero
    52 BC SPEECH IN DEFENCE OF TITUS ANNIUS MILO Marcus Tullius Cicero translated by Charles Duke Yonge, A.B. Cicero, Marcus Tullius (106-43 BC) - Rome’s greatest orator, philosopher, and rhetorician, he developed a style of speaking that was emulated for centuries thereafter. Cicero was influential in the development of Latin as more than just a utilitarian language. Speech in Defence of Titus Annius Milo (52 BC) - Milo, a candidate for consulship, and Clodius, a candidate for the praetorship, were in- volved in a streetfight in which Clodius was slain. Milo was tried for his murder. THE ARGUMENT Titus Annius Milo, often in the following speech called only Titus Annius, stood for the consulship while Clodius was a candidate for the praetorship, and daily quarrels took place in the streets between their armed retainers and gladiators. Milo, who was dictator of Lanuvium, his native place, was forced to go thither to appoint some priests, etc.; and Clodius, who had been to Africa, met him on his road. Milo was in his carriage with his wife, and was accompanied by a numerous retinue, among whom were some gladiators. Clodius was on horseback, with about thirty armed men. The followers of each began to fight, and when the tumult had become general, Clodius was slain, probably by Milo himself. The disturbances at Rome became so formidable that Pompey was created sole consul; and soon after he entered on his office, A.U.C. 702, Milo was brought to trial. This speech, however, though composed by Cicero, was not spoken, for he was so much alarmed by the violence of Clodius’s friends, that he did not dare to use the plain language he had proposed.
    [Show full text]
  • Cicero a Study of Gamesmanship in the Late
    CICERO A STUDY OF GAMESMANSHIP IN THE LATE REPUBLIC A Thesis Presented to the faculty of the Department of History California State University, Sacramento Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in History by Eugene H. Boyd FALL 2018 © 2018 Eugene H. Boyd ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii CICERO A STUDY OF GAMESMAN SHIP IN THE LATE REPUBLIC A Thesis by Eugene H. Boyd Approved by: __________________________________, Committee Chair Nikolaos Lazaridis, PhD. __________________________________, Second Reader Jeffrey Brodd, PhD. ____________________________ Date iii Student: Eugene H. Boyd I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format manual, and that this thesis is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to be awarded for the thesis. __________________________Graduate Coordinator ___________________ Jeffrey Wilson, PhD Date Department of History iv Abstract of CICERO A STUDY OF GAMESMANSHIP IN THE LATE REPUBLIC by Eugene H. Boyd Roman politics during the final decades of the Late Republic was a vicious process of gamesmanship wherein lives of people, their families and friends were at the mercy of the gamesmen. Cicero’s public and political gamesmanship reflects the politics, class and ethnic biases of Roman society and how random events impacted personal insecurities. ______________________ _, Committee Chair Nikolaos Lazaridis, PhD. ____________________________ Date v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The process of obtaining a Master’s degree, I have found, is not an independent, isolated experience. Citing a contemporary adage, “It takes a village.” Truer words have never by spoken. To that end, I would like to recognize in the most warmly and thankful manner, the people in my “village” who helped me through the graduate study program and eventual master’s degree.
    [Show full text]
  • Pro Milone: the Purposes of Cicero’S Published Defense Of
    PRO MILONE: THE PURPOSES OF CICERO’S PUBLISHED DEFENSE OF T. ANNIUS MILO by ROBERT CHRISTIAN RUTLEDGE (Under the Direction of James C. Anderson, Jr.) ABSTRACT This thesis explores the trial of T. Annius Milo for the murder of P. Clodius Pulcher, which occurred in Rome in 52 BC, and the events leading up to it, as well as Marcus Tullius Cicero’s defense of Milo and his later published version of that defense. The thesis examines the purposes for Cicero’s publication of the speech because Cicero failed to acquit his client, and yet still published his defense. Before specifically examining Cicero’s goals for his publication, this thesis considers relationships between the parties involved in the trial, as well as the conflicting accounts of the murder; it then observes the volatile events and novel procedure surrounding the trial; and it also surveys the unusual topographic setting of the trial. Finally, this thesis considers the differences between the published speech and the speech delivered at trial, the timing of its publication, and possible political and philosophical purposes. INDEX WORDS: Marcus Tullius Cicero, Pro Milone, Titus Annius Milo, Publius Clodius Pulcher, Pompey, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, Quintus Asconius Pedianus, Roman Courts, Roman Trials, Roman Criminal Procedure, Ancient Criminal Procedure, Roman Rhetoric, Latin Rhetoric, Ancient Rhetoric, Roman Speeches, Roman Defense Speeches, Roman Topography, Roman Forum, Roman Philosophy, Roman Stoicism, Roman Natural Law, Roman Politics PRO MILONE: THE PURPOSES OF CICERO’S PUBLISHED DEFENSE OF T. ANNIUS MILO by ROBERT CHRISTIAN RUTLEDGE B.A. Philosophy, Georgia State University, 1995 J.D., University of Georgia, 2005 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS ATHENS, GEORGIA 2006 © 2006 Robert Christian Rutledge All Rights Reserved PRO MILONE: THE PURPOSES OF CICERO’S PUBLISHED DEFENSE OF T.
    [Show full text]
  • Paving the Past: Late Republican Recollections in the Forum Romanum
    Copyright by Aaron David Bartels 2009 Paving the Past: Late Republican Recollections in the Forum Romanum by Aaron David Bartels, B.A. Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts The University of Texas at Austin May, 2009 Paving the Past: Late Republican Recollections in the Forum Romanum Approved by Supervising Committee: Penelope J. E. Davies Andrew M. Riggsby John R. Clarke DEDICATION – pro mea domina – Tracy Lea Hensley ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS No thanks can adequately express the gratitude I have for those who have supported this thesis. My advisor, Penelope J. E. Davies has provided unflinching guidance. The advice from my second reader, Andrew M. Riggsby, also deserves endless praise. The insights of my other colloquium committee members, John R. Clarke, Glenn Peers and Janice Leoshko continue to challenge my approach. Other scholars who offered their wisdom include Ingrid Edlund-Berry, Amy and Nassos Papalexandrou, John Pollini, P. Gregory Warden, Michael Thomas, Ann Steiner, Gretchen Meyers, Thomas Palaima, Matthew Roller and many others. Friends and colleagues at the University of Texas at Austin that deserve thanks for their ongoing support include, Erik McRae, Sebastian Bentkowski, Leticia Rodriguez, Kristin Ware, Joelle Lardi, Sheila Winchester and Gina Giovannone. I am also indebted to discussions with my fellow staff members and students at the Mugello Valley Archaeological Project. Robert Vander Poppen, Ivo van der Graaff, Sara Bon-Harper, Lynn Makowsky, Allison Lewis and Jess Galloway all provided sound advice. Any accurate or worthwhile conclusions in the following pages have filtered solely from those mentioned above.
    [Show full text]
  • Greeks and Romans.Mlc
    DEPARTMENT OF CLASSICS GREEKS AND ROMANS Courses and Programs Offered at the University of Virginia Spring 2020 2 3 THE GREEKS AND ROMANS at the University of Virginia SPRING, 2020 Each semester the faculty of the Department of Classics and their colleagues in other departments offer a rich program of courses and special events in classical studies. The Greeks and Romans is published to inform the University community of the wealth of opportunities for study during the spring semester, 2020. These are described in the next pages under the following headings: I. CLASSICS: Classics courses in translation. II. GREEKS: Courses in Greek language and literature, and in Greek art, ideas, history, and other aspects of Greek civilization. III. ROMANS: Courses in the Latin language and Roman literature, and in Roman art, ideas, history, and other aspects of Roman civilization. IV. AFFILIATED: Courses presenting Classical studies in relation to other subjects. V. SPECIAL PROGRAMS AND EVENTS ****************************************** 4 I. CLASSICS CLAS 2020 ROMAN CIVILIZATION Mr. Hays <bgh2n> TR 1230-1345 Discussion F 1000-1050 F 1100-1150 F 1400-1450 F 1500-1550 This course serves as a general introduction to the history, literature, social life, institutions, and ideology of ancient Rome, from the origins to the 2nd century AD. We will look especially at the ways in which the Romans constructed a collective cultural identity for themselves, with attention paid also to groups marginal to or excluded from that identity (e.g. women, slaves, barbarians). Readings will focus on the ancient texts and sources, including the comedies of Plautus and Terence, Vergil’s epic Aeneid, historical writing by Sallust and Tacitus, biographies by Plutarch and Suetonius, the love poetry of Ovid, and Petronius’s novel Satyrica.
    [Show full text]
  • Pro Caelio and the Leges De Vi of Rome in the Late Republic
    CICERO'S PRO CAELIO AND THE LEGES DE VI OF ROME IN THE LATE REPUBLIC by REBECCA KISELEWICH A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Classics WILLIAMS COLLEGE Williamstown, Massachusetts FEBRUARY, 2004 There is no system of law which affords a more favorable field for such researches [into judicial development] than that of Rome. Roman law occupies, in this regard, a place apart, which it owes, also, to the abundance of documents of every kind, always permitting the investigation of it to be approached from some new side; and which it owes, further, to the enormous mass of work which has been put into it during centuries by generations of commentators. - P. Girard, Manuel ~le'mentairede Droit ~ornain' Table of Contents Chapter I . Introduction ...................................................3 Chapter I1. Law and Rhetoric in the Pro Caelio ............................... 18 Chapter I11 . On Defining the Lex Lutatia de Vi and the Lex Plautia de Vi ...........30 Chapter IV . A Sullan Approach to Caelius' Indictment .........................47 Chapter V . The Development of Ambiguity in Leges de Vi ......................59 Chapter VI . A Comparative Look at Caelius' Indictment .......................69 Chapter VII . The Digest and Another Consideration of the Leges de Vi ............81 Appendix A . Trials of Murder and Violence from 149 to 50 B.C. .................94 Bibliography .......................................................... 97 Acknowledgements: Infinite thanks to Professor Christensen for all of her help and guidance throughout this entire thesis-writing process. to all of my professors at Williams College for getting me to the point where I could write a thesis.
    [Show full text]
  • Sic Semper Tyrannis: Justification of Caesar’S Assassination
    Sic Semper Tyrannis: Justification of Caesar’s Assassination Jeffrey Allen Thompson Seminar Paper Presented to the Department of History Western Oregon University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in History Spring 2009 Approved_________________________________________Date___________ Approved_________________________________________Date___________ Hst 499: Prof. Max Geier & Prof. Narasingha Sil 1 -I- Sic Semper Tyrannis, Latin for ‘Thus unto tyrants,’ was famously spoken by John Wilkes Booth following the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C. on April 13, 1865. Booth’s words harkened back to the assassination of another supposed tyrant two thousand years before, Gaius Julius Caesar. On the Ides of March, March 15, 44 B.C., Gaius Julius Caesar walked into the temple of Venus, atop Pompey’s Theater, where he was promptly stabbed by a conspiracy of over sixty prominent Romans. The leaders of the conspiracy took Caesar’s bloody robes onto the steps of the temple where they proclaimed that the tyrant was dead and rule had been restored to the Senate. Most prominent among them were the conspirators Marcus Junius Brutus (85-42 B.C.) and Gaius Cassius Longinus (C. 85-42 B.C.1). Caesar’s assassination marked the end of a nearly twenty-year period of Caesar’s ascent to power, which culminated in Caesar’s control of the Roman state. The assassination, although motivated by the patrician’s desire for power, was entirely within acceptable Roman beliefs about assassination and defense of the state. Caesar violated the Roman ideals of the first century B.C. about politics, namely, regnum and dominatio.2 This paper examines the justification of Caesar’s assassination from the perspective of Roman culture, history, and political ideals, as well as how Caesar’s assassination fits into the greater Roman ideals of murder, assassination, and justified murder.
    [Show full text]
  • Forum in the Age of Augustus
    The Roman Forum in the Age of Augustus The political career of Augustus, the first Roman emperor, lasted nearly sixty years. It began in 44 BCE, when the future Augustus was a sickly boy of eighteen, known, if at all, as the great- nephew of Julius Caesar. By the time it ended, he was nearly eighty, and his name was known and respected from England to India. The imperial system he established over the course of his long reign set the pattern for the rest of Roman history, and profoundly influenced the evolution of Europe. Roman emperors would reign over some part of the Mediterranean world for an incredible fifteen centuries; when Constantine XI fell to a Janissary bullet in 1453, he died as emperor of the Romans, and a direct political heir of Augustus. It was here, in the Roman Forum, that the remarkable career and legacy of Augustus took shape. Using the extant ruins as points of reference, this tour will trace the first emperor’s story from its origins in the populist dictatorship of Julius Caesar to the grandiose funeral that marked its end. I. The Temple of Caesar Look toward the foundations of the Temple of Caesar. Imagine away the crowds of tourists and the sound of traffic. Line the Forum square behind you with colonnades seventy feet tall, crown the Palatine Hill to your right with shining stucco walls and red tile roofs, and pave with polished marble the dust beneath your feet. Imagine that it is a sunny, rather brisk day in March 44 BCE.
    [Show full text]
  • Is an Inviolable Constitution a Suicide Pact? Historical Perspective on Executive Power to Protect the Salus Populi
    Saint Louis University Law Journal Volume 58 Number 2 (Winter 2014) Article 4 2014 Is an Inviolable Constitution a Suicide Pact? Historical Perspective on Executive Power to Protect the Salus Populi Ryan Patrick Alford Ave Maria School of Law, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.slu.edu/lj Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Ryan P. Alford, Is an Inviolable Constitution a Suicide Pact? Historical Perspective on Executive Power to Protect the Salus Populi, 58 St. Louis U. L.J. (2014). Available at: https://scholarship.law.slu.edu/lj/vol58/iss2/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Saint Louis University Law Journal by an authorized editor of Scholarship Commons. For more information, please contact Susie Lee. SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW IS AN INVIOLABLE CONSTITUTION A SUICIDE PACT? HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON EXECUTIVE POWER TO PROTECT THE SALUS POPULI RYAN PATRICK ALFORD* INTRODUCTION One of the thorniest issues ever put to jurists of the western legal tradition is the question of the proper scope of executive powers in a time of crisis. It has been disputed vigorously during key episodes in history; this has helped to define the boundaries of constitutional government against tyranny, absolute monarchy, and dictatorships. Despite apparently decisive rejections of overbroad executive powers at formative moments of legal history, the issue has proven itself perennial; even as threats to the state take on ever more frightening proportions, the issue is repeatedly reopened. A written constitution can be seen as an attempt on the part of a nation to tie itself to the mast of the rule of law, such that no emergency can tempt the people to dispense with the principle that they are governed by laws, and not by men.
    [Show full text]
  • Asconius: Commentary on Cicero's Pro Milone
    Cicero Pro Milone Asconius: Commentary on Cicero’s Pro Milone Summarised and translated by R A West This is a shortened version of Asconius' commentary on the Pro Milone, intended to present the essential story of the trial of Milo. Attempts to refer to the original Latin text may not always be successful; I have omitted large sections and also made small adjustments, especially where I am "joining" parts that may originally be from different sentences in different sections; sometimes I have interpolated additional details, lifting them from elsewhere in Asconius. But it is all Asconius, and in my view essentially faithful to his full account, which I have shortened and explained simply to make it more readable and intelligible. The dates are those favoured by Clark. I have tried to be more consistent and in one case more accurate about names (Sextus Clodius should be Sextus Cloelius) than Asconius’ copyists. RAW ASCONIUS: Commentary on Cicero’s PRO MILONE Background Titus Annius Milo, Publius Plautius Hypsaeus, and Quintus Metellus Scipio campaigned for the consulship not only using blatant bribery on a lavish scale, but also surrounding themselves with armed gangs of supporters. There was deep loathing between Milo and Clodius, because Milo was a close supporter of Cicero and had worked hard for his recall when he had been tribune, and Clodius, when Cicero was restored, continued his bitter hostility towards him, and he was therefore giving strong support to Hypsaeus and Scipio against Milo. In fact there had frequently been violent clashes in Rome between Milo and Clodius and their respective gangs.
    [Show full text]
  • L\Ic EXPLANATORY NOTES
    L\iC s CiJ EXPLANATORY NOTES BOOK i I—7 The subject of the poem is announced. i worse than civil wars: because Pompey and Caesar were not only fellow citizens but related to one another by marriage. 4 the pact oftyranny was broken: the so—called First Triumvirate, in which Pompey, Caesar, and Crassus agreed to co-operate politically with each other. The pact, made in óo BC, broke down in the late 5os. 6—7 of standards . javelins: the standards (siçna), eagles (aquilae), and javelins (pita) are all distinctively Roman equipment. 8—32 Lucan regrets the civil war when Rome might have been conquer ing the rest of the world. 12 wars which would bring no triumphs: a triumph could he earned only by a victory over a foreign enemy. 15—18 l.ucan refers to east, west, south, and north in turn by means of periphrases; ‘Titan’ and ‘the star’ both denote the sun. 20 Nile’s birth: a topic of fascination to the Romans; Lucan includes a discussion of the subject in book io. 31 Pyrrhus: king of Epirus, who inflicted several major defeats on Rome in the third century BC. the Carthaginian: i.e. Hannibal, who waged the Second Pumc War against Rome, 2 18—201 BC. 33—45 Lucan declares that the civil war and other temble events which followed are made worthwhile by Nero. 39 the Carthaginian ‘s shade: i.e. Hannibal’s ghost. amagmed as awaiting revenge for his defeats at the hands of the Romans. Lucan refers to the battle of Thapsus in 46 BC fought in Africa not far from Carthage.
    [Show full text]