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Violence, Religion and Politics: the Late Republic and Augustan Age

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Violence, Religion and Politics: the Late Republic and Augustan Age University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2018 Violence, Religion and Politics: The Late Republic and Augustan Age Matthew Tuggle Part of the Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons, and the History Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Tuggle, Matthew, "Violence, Religion and Politics: The Late Republic and Augustan Age" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 6188. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/6188 VIOLENCE, RELIGION AND POLITICS: THE LATE REPUBLIC AND AUGUSTAN AGE by MATTHEW D. TUGGLE B.A. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2003 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of History in the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Fall Term 2018 Major Professor: Edward Dandrow © 2018 Matthew D. Tuggle ii ABSTRACT Religion in the Late Republic was fused to politics. This study considers the relationship between violence, religion, and politics in the Late Republic and Augustan Age. It contends that Roman religion could encourage or discourage violence based upon the circumstances. The strain of Roman expansion on its political and religious institutions contributed to the civil discord that characterized the Late Republic, which created circumstances that were flexible enough for perspectives on each side to see the violence as justified. The ambition of a tribune, a sacrosanct office, could lead to circumvention of the traditional practices of the Senate, causing a religious dilemma if violence was used as a response. Powerful politicians also used religion to legitimize their abuses or obstruct the political aims of their opponents, leading to a contentious atmosphere fraught with violence. The influence of Greek philosophy on religion and morality was of concern for many Romans themselves. These concerns were not laid to rest until the Augustan Age had reshaped Rome’s political and religious institutions, which was accompanied by an outpouring of literature embedded with religious symbolism. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................................................... v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Defining Religion and Violence ....................................................................................... 4 1.2 The Historiography of Religion and Violence ............................................................... 16 CHAPTER 2: FROM CATO TO SULLA .................................................................................... 22 2.1 Consolodation of Roman Power in the Mediterranean .................................................. 22 2.2 The Sacrosanctity of the Tribunate: Voice of the Plebs .................................................. 30 2.3 Marius and Sulla: Power, Religion and Memory ........................................................... 49 CHAPTER 3: RELIGION AND THE REVOLUTION ............................................................... 57 3.1 The Seeds of Revolutionary Discord ............................................................................. 58 3.2 Roman Engagement with Epicureanism ........................................................................ 74 3.3 The Influence of Greek Thought .................................................................................... 84 CHAPTER 4: RELIGIOUS CHANGE IN THE WAKE OF CAESAR ....................................... 94 4.1 Caesar’s Assassination ................................................................................................... 94 4.2 The Second Triumvirate ................................................................................................. 97 4.3 Roman Legend in the Augustan Age .............................................................................112 4.4 The Deeds of the Divine Augustus ................................................................................119 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ................................................................................................... 125 LIST OF REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 130 iv ABBREVIATIONS App. Appian B Civ. Bella civilia (The Civil Wars) Pun. The Punic Wars Caesar Caes. B Civ. Bellum Civile (The Civil War) B Gall. Bellum Gallicum (The Gallic War) Cic. Cicero Cat. In Catilinam (Against Cataline) Div. De divinatione (On Divination) Dom. De domo sua (On Her Home) Mil. Pro Milone (On Behalf of Titus Annius Milo) Nat. D. De natura deorum (On the Nature of the Gods) Off. De officiis (On Obligations) Phil. Orationes Philippicae (Philippics) Pis. In Pisonem (Against Lucius Calpurnius Piso) Rep. De republica (On the Republic) Sest. Pro Sestio (On Behalf of Sestius) Tusc. Tusculanae disputationes (Tusculan Disputations) Vat. In Vatinium (Against Vatinius) Hor. Horace Carm. Carmina (Odes) Epod. Epodi (Epodes) Lucil. Lucilius Lucr. Lucretius DRN De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things) Nic. Dam. Nicolaus Damascenus Pind. Pindar Ol. Olympian Odes Pl. Plato Resp. Respublica (Republic) Plaut. Plautus Merc. Mercator (The Merchant) Plut. Plutarch Ant. Antonius v C. Gracch. Gaius Gracchus Cat. Mai. Cato Maior (Cato the Elder) Mar. Marius Ti. Gracch. Tiberius Gracchus Polyb. Polybius Sall. Sallust Cat. Bellum Catilinae (Cataline’s War) Hist. Historiae (Histories) Iug. Bellum Iugurthinum (Jugurthine War) Suet. Suetonius Aug. Divus Augustus Vell. Pat. Velleius Paterculus vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Polybius, a Greek historian of Republican Rome, provides valuable insight regarding Graeco-Roman perceptions of religion. “Since the common people everywhere are fickle – since they are driven by lawless impulses, blind anger, and violent passion – the only option is to use mysterious terrors and all this elaborate drama to restrain them. I very much doubt that the men who in ancient times introduced the masses to the idea of the gods and the concept of Hades just happened aimlessly to do so.”1 Polybius’ work suggests many of the Roman elites themselves would have been aware of the view that religion was designed to prevent uncontrolled violence and was created out of a culturally hegemonic relationship between the elite and the masses. He also clearly establishes a link between Roman religion, morality, and fear of punishment in the afterlife. His work touches upon the vengeance, wrath, and terror that the Romans perceived their gods to inflict upon the impious. This also alludes to the multifaceted link between religion and violence, in which religion simultaneously helped to restrain unwarranted violence and established that fear and violence could be used as a recourse for wrongdoing. Polybius’ access to the political elite of Rome offers us an outsider’s perspective on Roman culture and politics. He claimed that one of the factors that separated Rome from other cultures and provided cohesion for the state was a superior devotion to their gods and religious practices.2 Polybius contrasted contemporary Roman moral and religious fiber to their Greek counterparts, the former of which he viewed as superior, suggesting that the intellectual elite of 1. Polybius, The Histories, trans. Robin Waterfield (New York: Oxford University press, 2010), VI.56. 2. Polyb. VI.56. 1 the latter might succumb to political corruption more easily or abolish religion altogether.3 The desire of Romans to honor the mos maiorum (the customs of their ancestors) was a powerful element of Roman culture that helped to preserve their religious traditions and combat any religious skepticism, which was usually elevated in Greek philosophy, put forward by members of the Roman elite. Swain and Davies agree that “It should not be assumed that the upper classes took a skeptical attitude towards religion or interpreted it in a more philosophical manner, while the plebs clung to their superstitions.”4 Romans saw worthy ancestors, both real and legendary, as heroic figures that embodied Roman characteristics like virtus (vigor, strength, or general manliness), fides (good faith or trust), and pietas (a sense of the duty owed to one’s parents, close family, country, and religion). In addition to potential punishment in the afterlife for wrongdoing, which was alluded to by Polybius, Rome’s heroes and those of esteemed virtue and honor were thought to have earned a place of peace in the afterlife, known as Elysium. This concept is perhaps one reason the Romans took such great care to honor and emulate the customs of their ancestors. Beard points out how Polybius acts as a “political anthropologist” 5 in his examination of Roman culture, particularly that of Roman funerary customs.6 Funerals, as Polybius described them, touched upon the very essence of the Roman mos maiorum. According to Polybius, the corpses of deceased nobles in Rome were ceremoniously placed upright upon the rostra in the forum while 3. Polyb. VI.56. 4. H. Swain and M. E. Davies, Aspects
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