Week 9: Rome & the Provinces
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MMM Week 9: Rome & The Provinces 1. Range of Roman rule Of this whole country that is subject to the Romans, some parts are indeed ruled by kings, but the Romans retain others themselves, calling them Provinces, and send to them praefects and collectors of tribute. But there are also some free cities, of which some came over to the Romans at the outset as friends, whereas others were set free by the Romans themselves as a mark of honour. There are also some potentates and phylarchs and priests subject to them. Now these live in accordance with certain ancestral laws. (Strabo, Geo. 17.3.24=LACTOR M29) 2a. Judaea census, AD 6 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. (Gospel of Luke 2.1-2) b. Response to census Now Cyrenius (Quirinius), a Roman senator, and one who had gone through other magistracies, and had passed through them till he had been consul, and one who, on other accounts, was of great dignity, came at this time into Syria, with a few others, being sent by Caesar to be a judge of that nation, and to take an account of their substance. … Moreover, Cyrenius came himself into Judea, which was now added to the province of Syria, to take an account of their substance, and to dispose of Archelaus's money; but the Jews, although at the beginning they took the report of a taxation heinously, yet did they leave off any further opposition to it, by the persuasion of Joazar, who was the son of Beethus, and high priest; so they, being over-persuaded by Joazar's words, gave an account of their estates, without any dispute about it. Yet was there one Judas, a Gaulonite, of a city whose name was Gamala, who, taking with him Sadduc, a Pharisee, became zealous to draw them to a revolt, who both said that this taxation was no better than an introduction to slavery, and exhorted the nation to assert their liberty. (Josephus, AJ 18.1.1) 3. Census-taker’s funerary monument Quintus Aemilius, son of Quintus, (of the tribe) Palatina, Secundus [in] the camp of the deified Augustus under Publius Sulpicius Quirinius, legate of Caesar over Syria: decorated with honors, prefect of Cohort One of Augustus, prefect of Cohort Two Classica. Also, by order of Quirinius I conducted the census of the city of Apamea of 170,000 citizens... (Braund no. 22=LACTOR M49) 4. Priests in Egypt (4 BC) Copy ofa letter. Gaius Turranius [...] not enough of them are described in written form, [the] priests who take up their functions year after year and their functionaries who are not of the priestly order and do not take upon themselves the liturgies [...]. Therefore, I order a registration of the priests who take up their functions (year after year) and their temple functionaries and the others of all the temples [...] [and their children, and what services they perform they shall make clear, so that in this 26th year of Cae[sar] (Augustus, 4 BC) I may make an examination of them. Those not of the priestly order shall be removed from office without delay. (Braund no. 14) 5. Road building Lugdunum is in the centre of the country - an acropolis, as it were, not only because the rivers meet there, but also because it is near all parts of the country. And it was on this account, also, that Agrippa began at Lugdunum when he cut his roads - that which passes through the Cemmenus Mountains as far as the Santoni and Aquitania [west], and that which leads to the Rhine [north-east], and a third, that which leads to the ocean (the one that runs by the Bellovaci and the Ambiani) [north-west]; and a fourth, that which leads to Narbonitis and the Massilian seaboard [south]. And there is also, again, in the Poeninus itself (if you leave on your left Lugdunum and the country that lies above it) a bye-road which, after you cross the Rhone or Lake Geneva, leads into the plains of the Helvetii [east then north-east]. (Strabo 4.6.11) MMM 6. Petition/response: Alexandria (10/9 BC) Imperator Caesar Augustus, pontifex maximus, in his fourteenth year of tribunician power, imperator twelve times, to the people of the Alexandrians, greetings. The envoys whom you sent came to me in Gaul and made your representations and in particular informed me of what seems to have troubled you in past years.... The spokesman: 'Caesar, unconquered hero, these are the envoys of the Alexandrians. We have divided the embassy ... amongst ourselves . according to the competence of each of us ... Theodorus on Egypt ... on the Idios Logos . myself on the city... not to give a defence but to request your imperial intervention.' (POxy no. 3,020; Braund no. 555) 7. Hedulus Temple, Carthage To the Augustan family (gens). Publius Perelius Hedulus, perpetual priest, was the first to build a temple on private land out of his own money. 8. Augusta Emerita theatre, 15 BC Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, thrice consul.thrice holder of tribunician power. 9. Leptis Market Inscription (bilingual; Punic version) When emperor Caesar Augustus, son of god, was for the eleventh time consul, and for the fourteenth time imperator, and for the fifteenth time holding the authority of the ten rules (ie, tribunician power), chief of the... and when the priests of the Emperor Caesar were Iddibal, son of Arish and [...] and when Abdmelqart son of Annobal was the lord over the shalim sacrifice.. and when the sufetes were Mutun, son of Anno... (IPT 21) 10. Leptis Theatre inscription (bilingual) To emperor Caesar son of the god Augustus, pontifex maximus, holding tribunician power for the twenty- fourth time, consul for the thirteenth time, pater patriae, Annobal Rufus, he who ornaments his fatherland, lover of harmony, priest, sufete, chief of the priests, son of Himilcho Tapapius, out of his own money oversaw the building (of the theatre) and dedicated it (IRT 321; KAI 121=LACTOR M71) 11. Territory taken from Athens While Agrippa was thus occupied, Augustus, after arranging various matters in Sicily and making Roman colonies of Syracuse and certain other cities, crossed over into Greece. He honoured the Lacedaemonians by giving them Cythera and attending their public mess, because Livia, when she fled from Italy with her husband and son, had spent some time there. But from the Athenians he took away Aegina and Eretria, from which they received tribute, because, as some say, they had espoused the cause of Antony; and he furthermore forbade them to make anyone a citizen for money. (Dio 54.7.1-2) 12. Akropolis monument to Agrippa The people set up Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, three times consul, as their own benefactor. (IG II2 4122) 13. Roma & Augustus Temple, Akropolis The people to the goddess Roma and Caesar Augustus. Pammenes, son of Zenon, of Marathon, being hoplite general and priest of the goddess Roma and Augustus Savior on the Akropolis, when Megiste, daughter of Asklepiades of Halai was priestess of Athena Polias. In the archonship of Areos, son of Dorion of Paiania. (IG II2 3173) .