Copyright by Sarah Helen Davies 2012 The Dissertation Committee for Sarah Helen Davies Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Rome, International Power Relations, and 146 BCE Committee: Karl Galinsky, Supervisor Adam T. Rabinowitz Jennifer Gates-Foster Steven J. Friesen Arthur M. Eckstein M. Gwyn Morgan Rome, International Power Relations, and 146 BCE by Sarah Helen Davies, B.A., M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin August 2012 Rome, International Power Relations, and 146 BCE Sarah Helen Davies, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2012 Supervisor: Karl Galinsky Within a single year – 146 BCE – Roman generals had entered the cities of Carthage and Corinth and forever changed the course of Mediterranean history. Although involved in separate conflicts with Rome, these cities and their tragedies became uniquely linked, not only to each other, but also to a perceived trajectory of Rome as an imperial power. Subsequent generations have looked to 146 BCE as an important turning point, and in doing so have attached value-laden interpretations to it as a gauge on Roman imperialism. This dissertation looks at 146 BCE from a different angle, seeking to understand its significance in terms of its contemporary international context, asking how it first became viewed as a turning point. The analysis utilizes international relations theory of normative systems, focusing on collective perceptions and evolving political conceptions within an interstate cultural environment. Exploring contemporary texts and archaeological clues, it sees the second-century BCE as a period in which the Mediterranean was becoming increasingly globalized, drawn together by universalizing ideals. A framework of “Hellenistic” markers communicated networks of legitimacy, Rome being both participant and game-changer. At the same time, the international iv community was rife with disjunctions, which contributed to a disintegration of relations in North Africa, followed by re-eruptions of nationalistic fervor on the Greek mainland. When coupled with wider perceptions, that the oikoumenē was becoming progressively interconnected and was moving toward a new juncture in world-history, the stage was set. The legal punishments to be inflicted by the Roman victor were to be viewed on a whole new plane, as reflections of a groundbreaking world-order. Romans were aware of these implications, made evident in the decisions of Scipio at Carthage, followed by Mummius at Corinth. In a rare and stunning move, both cities were decommissioned as political entities, and their tragedies linked to contemporary visions of cyclical world-history: Carthage burned in reiteration of Troy, and Corinth stripped of cultural Greek heritage. Polybius, uniquely positioned as a commentator on these outcomes, not only captured their ideological ripple effects, but also assured their direction over future generations, as a moment to color Rome as world hegemon. v Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................1 146 BCE ..........................................................................................................1 Polybius & 146 BCE .......................................................................................8 From Modern IR to Ancient History: Overview of the Chapters .................11 Previous Scholarship: Summary of the Debates ...........................................15 Chapter 2: Rome, History, & International Relations Theory ...............................21 Introduction ...................................................................................................21 IR Theory as an Approach: Eckstein & Realism ..........................................25 Primitivism & Modernism ............................................................................31 Levels of Analysis: Internal & External .......................................................36 International Heterarchy ...............................................................................39 Defensive & Offensive Imperialism .............................................................43 Beyond Dichotomies .....................................................................................47 Normative IR Theory: A Review of the Approach .......................................54 Conclusion: The Roman Dilemma ................................................................59 Chapter 3: Interstate Norms & the Early Second Century BCE ............................62 Introduction ...................................................................................................62 Thinking in Modern Terms: Hellenistic Globalization .................................64 Hellenistic: Ancient Chronography & Globalism ........................................65 Hellenistic Hellenism: Civilizing Ideals & Empire ......................................70 The West: Republican Rome, Carthage, & Hellenism .................................74 Roman Philhellenism: Politics of Prestige ....................................................85 Roman Philhellenism: Flamininus ................................................................90 Negotiating Philhellenic Relations ...............................................................95 The East & ‘Philo-romanism’: Pan-Hellenism & Kinship Diplomacy ......101 Philo-Romanism: Ruler Cult Redefined .....................................................108 Roman Syngeneia: The Trojan Legend .......................................................116 vi Syngeneia, The Trojan Legend, & World History ......................................122 World History & Rome in the Second Century BCE .................................130 Chapter 4: International Legal Constructs & The Treaty of Zama .....................136 Introduction .................................................................................................136 Polis & Empire: Shifting Perceptions .........................................................138 Polis & Res Publica: Disjunctive Concepts ...............................................142 Becoming the Polis of Empire ....................................................................147 Polybius & Rome’s Politeia .......................................................................154 Treaty of Zama: The Context ......................................................................172 Hellenistic Peace-Agreements & Vaguely Defined Territories ..................177 The Pre-Zama Theater of International Justice ...........................................184 The Zama (201) Treaty & Roman International Justice .............................195 Conclusion ..................................................................................................207 Chapter 5: From 201 to 149 BCE – Diplomatic Crisis ........................................209 Introduction .................................................................................................209 201 Treaty & Polybian Commentary ..........................................................215 201 Treaty: Terms & Significance ..............................................................223 Carthage After 201 ......................................................................................231 North Africa After 201: The Sources ..........................................................244 North Africa After 201: Clashes Between Political Cultures .....................253 Mid-Century Diplomatic Crisis ..................................................................265 Chapter 6: Tragedy, Triumph, & 146 BCE ..........................................................280 Introduction .................................................................................................280 From North Africa to the Greek World: Crisis Pandemic ..........................284 Achaian League Debacle ............................................................................294 Collocated Destructions ..............................................................................307 146 BCE & History: Cycles of World Empire ...........................................320 Aftermath ....................................................................................................340 vii Appendix ..............................................................................................................348 Introduction .................................................................................................348 Realism & Idealism ....................................................................................348 Realism & Neorealism ................................................................................352 Liberalism (Idealism and Neoliberalism) ...................................................354 International Political Economy (IPE) ........................................................357 Towards an Eclectic Approach: International Society IR Theory ..............359 Post-Modernism & Constructivism ............................................................361 Normative IR Theory ..................................................................................364 Abbreviations .......................................................................................................374