REINTERPRETATIONS OF THE STRUGGLE OF THE ORDERS REINTERPRETATIONS OF THE STRUGGLE OF THE ORDERS: RE-WORKING HISTORICAL MEMORY By PATRICIA WHITE, B.A., M.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree Doctor of Philosophy McMaster University © Copyright by Patricia White, February 2017 DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (2017), Classics; McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: Reinterpretations of the Struggle of the Orders: Re-working Historical Memory AUTHOR: Patricia White, B.A. (Queen’s University), M.A. (Western University [formerly The University of Western Ontario]) SUPERVISOR: Dr. Claude Eilers NUMBER OF PAGES: 344 ii La decapitazione di Spurio Cassio by the Renaissance artist Domenico di Pace Beccafumi (1486-1551), in the Palazzo Pubblico (Siena, Italy) iii ABSTRACT This is a study of how late Republican and early Imperial authors recast different elements of episodes from the Struggle of the Orders (509-287 BCE) based on the events and circumstances of their own times and their authorial aims. The study is divided into two parts. Part I focuses on portrayals of Sp. Cassius’ third consulship in 486 BCE, when he sought to pass a lex agraria. Part II examines the treatments of Sp. Maelius’ private frumentary distributions, which purportedly occurred in 439 BCE. Both episodes seem to have been treated briefly by earlier sources; the main thread of the stories centred around Cassius’ and Maelius’ desire to acquire regnum, which led to their suppressions and deaths. Over time, the stories evolved and became more detailed. Elements were exaggerated, added, or omitted, which often spoke to what was happening during the time at which a certain author was writing. By means of a comparison of the primary sources I examine the contemporary Roman historical realities contained within our surviving narratives on the patricio-plebeian conflicts of the early period. Late Republican authors frequently recast the patrician-plebeian struggle in the context of the recent political conflicts between optimates and populares, using the political idiom of their own times to describe the Struggle of the Orders. Cassius and Maelius became embedded in the political controversy surrounding the suppression of men (reportedly) seeking kingship by the state that began with the institution of the SCU and continued long into the first century BCE. I analyze the changes that take place in the accounts of Cicero, Livy, and Dionysius of Halicarnassus, our main sources on the episodes involving Cassius and Maelius. Different authors reinterpret, emphasize, and omit various elements of the events of 486 and 439 BCE. A single author might, as is the case with Cicero, reimagine the episodes differently at different times based on his immediate aims. While the ways by which the sources reimagine elements of these episodes has led to harsh criticisms of these authors, especially Livy and Dionysius, I argue that our sources were engaging with the material at their disposal and shaping it in ways that were acceptable to ancient audiences. This historical interpretation helped the Romans to make sense of their own past and derive meaning from it, which, in turn, helped them to engage with and make sense of their present. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is my great pleasure to offer acknowledgement and to extend my sincerest thanks to those who have helped me complete this project. My dissertation committee has been supportive of my work throughout. I want to thank my supervisor, Claude Eilers, for the time he spent reading drafts of chapters and helping me to fine-tune my arguments. I would also like to thank the other members of my committee, Evan Haley, who pointed out new monographs and articles that were topical to my research, and Sean Corner, who offered comments and suggestions for improvement on drafts of chapters and the final draft. I would also like to thank Michael Carter at Brock University, who examined my work, provided important corrections, and asked important questions; he was also very encouraging during the defence itself. I am also indebted to my other friends and colleagues in the department, without whose friendship, encouragement, and support this project would never have been possible. Special thanks goes to Jonathan Reeves, who read numerous drafts of chapters and discussed my arguments and ideas with me. Without his continued support and positivity, the project would not have been possible. Thanks also goes to Victoria Haykin and Jason Binder, who have been encouraging and supportive throughout the process. Thanks also goes to my friends Kristin Opre, Nadia Ivanova, Agato Sloma, all of whom were compassionate and understanding of the process, even when I was a recluse during the few months prior to submission and leading up to the defence. I would also like to thank Carmen Camilleri and Louise Savocchia, who were always encouraging and provided administrative support, which made my day-to-day life far less stressful. I would like to thank my parents, siblings, and nephews and nieces, who have also been supportive throughout the entire process. There were a few missed family events, especially towards the end, but they understood the reasons behind it. This process has taught me a lot about myself, and, most importantly, the support of my family and friends has helped me to be more self-assured in my own abilities. v ABBREVIATIONS OF JOURNALS AND WORKS OF REFERENCE The following is a list of abbreviations for journals and reference works. Abbreviations for ancient authors and their works follow those of the Oxford Classical Dictionary. Abbreviations for journals follow the conventions used by L’Année philologique; abbreviations for reference works are those commonly used by modern scholars. 1. Journals AJA American Journal of Archaeology AJAH American Journal of Ancient History AJPh American Journal of Philology BICS Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies CB The Classical Bulletin CJ The Classical Journal ClAnt Classical Antiquity CPh Classical Philology CR Classical Review CQ Classical Quarterly CW Classical World Historia Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte HSPh Harvard Studies in Classical Philology JHS The Journal of Hellenic Studies JRA Journal of Roman Archaeology JRS The Journal of Roman Studies LCM Liverpool Classical Monthly vi LEC Les études classiques MAAR Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome MH Museum Helveticum PAPhS Proceedings of the American Philological Society PBSR Papers of the British School at Rome PCPhS Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society REL Revue des études latines RhM Rheinisches Museum für Philologie TAPA Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association TAPhA Transactions of the American Philological Association ZPE Zeitscrhift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 2. Reference Works ANRW Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt CAH Cambridge Ancient History FRHist T.J. Cornell (ed.), The Fragments of the Roman Historians (3 vols.), 2013, Oxford University Press Lewis and C.T. Lewis, C. Short, A Latin Dictionary, Clarendon Press (Oxford) Short MRR T.R.S. Broughton, Magistrates of the Roman Republic (3 vols.), 1951 [1986] OLD Oxford Latin Dictionary ORF Oratorum Romanorum Fragmenta, ed. E. Malcovati (4th ed., 1976) RCC M.H. Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage (2 vols.), 1974, Cambridge University Press RE G. Wissowa et al., Paulys Realencyclopädie der klassischen vii Altertumswissenschaft (Stuttgart, 1893-1978) viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Frontispiece iii Abstract iv Acknowledgements v Abbreviations vi Introduction 1 Cicero 14 Livy 18 Dionysius of Halicarnassus 22 Organization of the Study 30 Part I Sp. Cassius and Agrarian Reform 33 Introduction 33 Chapter 1 Sp. Cassius in Cicero 39 Dom. 101 39 Rep. 2.49 and 2.60 42 Amic. 28 and 36 52 Phil. 2.87 and 2.114 53 Chapter 2 Sp. Cassius in L. Calpurnius Piso Frugi 69 Chapter 3 Sp. Cassius in Livy and Dionysius 81 Chapter 3A The Livian Sp. Cassius 82 Chapter 3B The Dionysian Sp. Cassius 113 Conclusion 138 Part II Sp. Maelius and Frumentary Distribution 141 Introduction 141 Chapter 1 Sp. Maelius in L. Cincius Alimentus and L. Calpurnius 147 Piso Frugi Chapter 2 Sp. Maelius and C. Servilius Ahala in Cicero 151 Cat. 1.3 153 Dom. 86 and 101 158 Sest. 143 164 Rep. 1.6 and 2.49 167 Mil. 8, 72, and 83 170 Orat. 153 179 Sen. 56 180 Amic. 28 and 36 185 ix Phil. 2.26-27, 2.87, and 2.114 186 Chapter 3 Sp. Maelius in Livy and Dionysius 191 Chapter 3A The Livian Sp. Maelius 193 Chapter 3B The Dionysian Sp. Maelius 243 Conclusion 262 Conclusions 264 Appendices 277 Appendix 1 A Summary of the Struggle of the Orders 277 Appendix 2 A Catalogue of the Three Malefactors of Early Rome in the Ciceronian Corpus 280 Appendix 3 The Evolution of the Narrative Tradition Surrounding Sp. Cassius 284 Appendix 4 Strife Caused by Agrarian Proposals in Livy (Books 1-6) 288 Appendix 5 The Evolution of the Narrative Tradition Surrounding Sp. Maelius 290 Appendix 6 Ciceronian References to Sp. Maelius and C. Servilius Ahala 296 Bibliography 297 x PhD Thesis - P. White McMaster University - Dept. of Classics INTRODUCTION It has often been observed that all history is contemporary history. This dictum was coined by the philosopher of history Benedetto Croce,1 and has subsequently been repeated by various scholars in numerous fields.2 That is, Croce and his followers see historical writing as alive; the historian’s work is shaped by his personal values and the circumstances of his own time. This is how the Romans, too, treated and conceived of their past. This study is an examination of how our main sources for Rome’s Struggle of the Orders adapt elements of the narratives regarding Sp. Cassius’ agrarian proposal of 486 BCE and Sp. Maelius’ grain distribution in 439 BCE. Throughout I analyze the ways in which authors writing about these figures changed, omitted, and repurposed elements of the narratives based on their personal, literary, and rhetorical aims.