Philip Matyszak and Joanne Berry
OF THE ROMANS
With 217 illustrations, 135 in color
-<�;- Thames & Hudson HALF-TITLE Bronze bust of (1616). Decius Mus typified the Augustus, formerly Octavian, warrior aristocracy of the early 27-25 BC. Republic, when Roman leaders FRONTISPIECE Fourth-century were expected to command from mosaic of a house on a lake. the front. PREVIOUS PAGE Bust of Lucius OPPOSITE Romulus and Remus Cornelius Sulla, 138-78 BC. being suckled by the wolf, thought BELOW Decius Mus addressing the to be an Etruscan statue of the sth Legions, by Peter Paul Rubens century BC.
© 2008 Thames & Hudson Ltd, London
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First published in 2008 in hardcover in the United States of America by Thames & Hudson Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10110 thamesandhudsonusa.com
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2008901001
ISBN 978-o-soo-25144-7
Printed and bound in Singapore by Tien Wah Press (Pte) Ltd 52 I PALLAS AN EX-SLAVE TAKES CHARGE
The emperor Claudius never fully trusted the Roman Senate, perhaps with reason. The Senate as a whole resented their loss of power, and many individ ual senators felt they could do better as emperor. Consequently, Claudius relied to an unprecedented degree on his own household to help govern the Woodcut depicting the death of empire. This gave immense power to his financial secretary, Marcus Antonius Messalina, apparently based on a Pallas. Yet Pallas had started as a slave to Antonia Minor, a powerful member painting in 1708 by Francesco Solimena. Messalina shrinks against AD of the imperial family. Antonia freed him some time in the 30s and became the lap of her distraught mother his patron, as was customary. On Antonia's death, that patronage passed to while an accusing Pallas directs the Praetorian executors. According to Claudius. Claudius used him to manage his personal budget, which was a Tacitus, however, Messalina met her major responsibility as at this time the emperor's budget was larger and in far death in the Gardens of Lucullus, and her mother, Lepida, far from better financial health than the official treasury. being distraught, simply informed By then Pallas was already wealthy, as Antonia seems to have left him her weeping daughter that having ruined her life, she should at least try land in Egy pt. As a shrewd investor working at the financial heart of the for a decent death.
PALLAS 163 164 ROMANS AND CAESARS empire, Pallas soon became phenomenally rich, though he was astute enough to be scrupulously honest in his official duties, which protected him from the frantic jealousy of the Senate. To make the extraordinary powers of this ex slave more palatable, a dubious genealogy was published claiming Pallas was descended from the kings of Arcadia in Greece. Felix, the younger brother of Palla , was less honest, and after serving as a moderately disastrous procura tor in Judaea (where St Paul appeared before his court), he was hauled back to Rome to face a plethora of charges for bribery and embezzlement. Pallas worked closely with Narcissus, another influentialfreedman, and the pair became immensely rich. It was said that the financial problems of the empire would be resolved overnight if Pallas and Narcissus would only include Claudius in their partnership. When the wild and self-destructive OPPOSITE
Messalina unilaterally divorced Claudius and remarried, Pallas and Narcis Sardonyx cameo depicting Claudius and Agrippina. The circumstances sus worked together to stabilize the regime and to ensure that Messalina was of Messalina's death severely executed. Pallas was also influential in persuading Claudius to choose as his weakened Claudius' authority, and for a while he was forced to cede next wife his niece, Agrippina (no. 53). Despite allegations that Pallas and much of his authority to the popular Agrippina were lovers, it is more probable that they shared a desire for influ Agrippina, who does indeed seem to be the more dynamic figure in this ence over Claudius. This association meant that Pallas survived the change of carving. regime when Claudius was poisoned. Narcissus did not, so Pallas briefly became more powerful than ever. But as Agrippina's influence at Nero's court waned, so did that of Pallas. It did not help that Pallas was famously snob bish, haughty and high-tempered, and so had few personal friends. Nevertheless, Seneca, another advisor of Nero, defended Pallas when he was accused of treason, and he escaped conviction. Pallas retired from public life and died in AD 63. It was generally believed that Nero poisoned him, since as Pallas' current patron Nero would inherit a share of his vast wealth.
PALLAS I AGRIPPINA 165