The First Romans at Samothrace

CHAPTER SIX ROMANS AT SAMOTHRACE The First Romans at Samothrace The earliest evidence for Roman interest in the Samothracian sanctuary is the account by Plutarch that Marcellus dedicated there statues and paintings, part of his booty from his victory at Syracuse in 2121211 B.c.°" This dedica tion has more political meaning than religious significance. Marcellus may have intended, by his dedications, to acknowledge the protection which he had received from the Samothracian gods in his naval victory at Syracuse, but it is more likely that these dedications, taken from the greatest Greek city of the west, were intended as a message to the Greek world of the eastern Mediterranean. It is no accident that Marcellus chose to make his dedications to the Lindian Athena on Rhodes and to the Samothracian gods. Theirs were cults recognized by all Greeks. Athena was goddess of war and protector of cities; the Samothracian gods offered protection at sea and victory in battle. While recognizing the power of these Greek gods, and perhaps even claiming their protection for himself, by choosing these particular sites for his dedica tions Marcellus also sent a warning to the Greek cities of the east, a warning of the potential power of Rome. Plutarch does not say that Marcellus himself became an initiate at Samothrace, but it certainly would not have been impossible. The fact that Roman initiates do not appear on Samothracian inscriptions until the second century B.C. is no argument against Marcellus' possible initiation because there are no extant inscriptions, either Greek or Roman, from the third cen tury B.C. Lack of this type of evidence is therefore not conclusive. The First Macedonian War was contemporary with the dedications of Marcellus, and this must have provided an opportunity for Romans to become familiar with the mysteries. Because there seems never to have been any special ethnic qualification for initiation at Samothrace, Romans may have been able to seek initiation as early as their activities extended into the eastern Mediterra nean. Although the dedication of Marcellus is not usually considered signifi cant, 6~O it may be an example of the growing interest in the island on the part of the Romans. Whether Marcellus himself took a personal interest in the mysteries or not, his choice of Samothrace as a location for his dedications means that the Romans-even at this date-recognized the importance of the Samothracian sanctuary in the Greek world. The Romans appear next at Samothrace at the time of the Third Macedo nian War. In 168 B.c., after his defeat at Pydna, Perseus fled to Samothrace 88 ROMANS AT SAMOTHRACE for asylum in an attempt to escape capture by the Romans. He was accom panied by his family and close supporters. There is no inscriptional evidence for Perseus' connection with Samothrace, but Livy gives a full account. 691 We know from Polybios that as king of Macedonia, Perseus had political autho rity extending to Samothrace.692 However, it had long been the custom for Macedonian rulers to support the sanctuary financially, and presumably it was also customary for them to be initiated there. Perseus would naturally expect protection from the Samothracian gods if he were initiated, and with his forces scattered or captured and the Roman fleet in control of the sea, he had no choice but to seek refuge on the island. Perseus was forced to seek asylum at Samothrace, but the Romans were certainly under no obligation to recognize the authority of the sanctuary. It is significant, however, that they did so. They did not attempt to take Perseus by force, but appealed to the Samothracian assembly, arguing that Perseus did not qualify for asylum because of pollution from involvement with the con spiracy to murder Eumenes at Delphi. 693 Perseus had not been the actual culprit. The crime had been attempted by his friend Evander, who had accom panied Perseus to Samothrace. The threat of pollution to the sanctuary is of importance. The Romans recognize that at Samothrace there was a special con cern for purity. Lucius Atilius, arguing before the Samothracian assembly, forced them to admit that the whole island was sacred and inviolate.694 Atilius then demanded why they permitted a homicide to defile and pollute their sanctuary. This Roman was aware of the fact that the praefatio sacrorum excluded murderers from participation. 695 The Samothracian assembly was so impressed by this argument that the basileus was sent to Perseus to insist that Evander be turned over for trial and if proven guilty, be sent away. Four things are clear from Livy's account of this incident. First, the Samothracian assembly and magistrates seem to have had jurisdiction over the sanctuary, an indication of the close relationship between the civil and religious authorities. Second, it was the basileus, the eponymous magistrate of the Samothracian inscriptions, who had direct control over the affairs of the sanctuary, acting as intermediary between the assembly and Perseus. 696 Third, Atilius must have been right when he said that the introduc tory formula of the rites excluded those who were not clean of hand. Clearly, when the purity of the sanctuary was threatened, the administration did not feel bound to protect a Greek who might defile it. Finally, the Romans appear to have been familiar, at least by reputation, with the requirements for initia tion. The dedication by Marcellus in the previous century may not have been quite so isolated an incident as some believe. The capture of Perseus at Sa moth race in 169 B.C. marked a turning point in the affairs of the sanctuary. Up to this time, many of the expensive building projects had been subsidized by Macedonian ruling families, and the .

Load more