View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Kent Academic Repository QUA RE QUI POSSUM NON ESSE POPULARIS: THE REPRESENTATION OF POPULARES IN THE LATE ROMAN REPUBLIC. by Michael A. Nash A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Research Department of Classical and Archaeological Studies School of European Culture and Languages University of Kent September 2015 (Thesis word count: 39,688) Abstract The terms popularis and optimate have been employed in both ancient and modern literature to interpret late Roman Republican politics. The purpose of this work is to express the diversity and change of the popularis label from 133 to 88 B.C. as a consequence of developing political practices. A chronological assessment of five key popularis tribunes in this period; Ti. Sempronius Gracchus, G. Sempronius Gracchus, L. Appuleius Saturninus, M. Livius Drusus and P. Sulpicius Rufus determines the variation in political methodologies exploited by these men in response to an optimate opposition. An assessment of Cicero’s works then considers how the discrepancies exhibited by these politicians could be manipulated for oratorical advantage. This subsequently reveals the perception of pre- Sullan populares in the time of Cicero, a generation later. This work ultimately aims to demonstrate the individualistic nature of late Republican politicians, the evolution of political practice in the period and the diverse employment of political labels in contemporary sources. 2 Acknowledgments This dissertation has come to fruition thanks to the assistance provided from numerous individuals. Primarily, I would like to express my gratitude to Professor Ray Laurence for his supervision throughout the year. His support and feedback has been invaluable and has helped to enhance my work throughout. I would also like to thank Dr Arthur Keaveney, who has held informal discussions with me to offer guidance and encouragement in the course of my studies. Finally, I would like to thank all those who work in the department of Classical and Archaeological Studies at The University of Kent, who have aided me greatly in a number of diverse matters throughout the year. I hope that this work reflects my enthusiasm for the topic, which has been nurtured by the generous support offered to me by those mentioned above. 3 Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................... 3 Contents ................................................................................................................................... 4 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 6 Literature Review ................................................................................................................. 7 Structure and Methodology ............................................................................................... 15 1. Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus ....................................................................................... 17 Early Life and Career .......................................................................................................... 17 The Tribunate of 133 B.C. .................................................................................................. 20 Evaluation .......................................................................................................................... 29 2. Gaius Sempronius Gracchus........................................................................................... 31 Key Events between the Gracchi ....................................................................................... 31 Early Career ........................................................................................................................ 34 The Tribunate of 123 B.C. .................................................................................................. 35 The Tribunate of 122 B.C. .................................................................................................. 42 Evaluation .......................................................................................................................... 51 3. Lucius Appuleius Saturninus .......................................................................................... 53 The Foundation of a Political Alliance ................................................................................ 53 The Tribunate of 103 B.C. .................................................................................................. 56 Inter-Tribunate Events ....................................................................................................... 60 The Tribunate of 100 B.C. .................................................................................................. 62 Evaluation .......................................................................................................................... 67 4. Marcus Livius Drusus...................................................................................................... 69 The Influence of Judicial Malpractice ................................................................................ 69 The Tribunate of 91 B.C. .................................................................................................... 70 Evaluation .......................................................................................................................... 78 5. Publius Sulpicius Rufus ................................................................................................... 80 Pre-Tribunician Reputation ................................................................................................ 80 The Tribunate of 88 B.C. .................................................................................................... 81 Evaluation .......................................................................................................................... 89 6. The Past in the Present: Marcus Tullius Cicero and Publius Clodius Pulcher ................ 91 Quantitative Data ............................................................................................................... 92 Rhetorical Techniques ........................................................................................................ 93 4 Tribunician Representations .............................................................................................. 95 Evaluation ........................................................................................................................ 106 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 108 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 115 5 Introduction The nature of populares and optimates has been a focus of debate traceable back to the first century B.C.1 The flexible nature of these expressions, in particular popularis, resulted in unstable and incomplete definitions of the key terms. This issue is succinctly demonstrated by the numerous interpretations provided within The Oxford Latin Dictionary. These range from genuine popularity to outlining a social group and political position.2 The Latin term popularis and its Greek equivalent demotikoi became an established label following the tribunate of Ti. Sempronius Gracchus in 133 B.C.3 Alongside the term optimate and its approximate Greek parallels dynatoi or plousioi, the popularis concept helped to form the view of Rome as a neatly divided political system.4 This led to the grouping of individuals by their political aims, a trend that permeated both ancient and modern literature. This dissertation addresses the movement away from the generalised viewpoint in modern literature, stressing the need for a detailed approach when dealing with politicians of the late Roman Republic. This will show that popularis tribunes from 133 to 88 B.C. did not wholly subscribe to a single generic trend and that they exhibited distinctive traits in their magistracies as a reaction to optimate policies. Following this discussion, an assessment will be made concerning Cicero’s exploitation of the various connotations of the term popularis. This was employed alongside examples of past tribunes to engage with contemporary politicians such as P. Clodius Pulcher. 1 Cic. Leg. agr. 2.9 provides the quotation for the title of this dissertation, while an extended discussion of populares and optimates can be found in Cic. Sest. 96ff. 2 Glare, P. G. W. The Oxford Latin Dictionary. Vol. 2. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1968), 1544-5. 3 de Ste. Croix, G. E. M. The Class Struggle in the Ancient Greek World: from the Archaic Age to the Arab Conquests. (London: Gerald Duckworth & Company Limited, 1981), 341; Badian, E. “Optimates, Populares.” In The Oxford Classical Dictionary, edited by S. Hornblower, A. Spawforth, & E. Eidinow, 1042-1043. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), 1042. 4 Warre Cornish, F., ed. A Concise Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. (London: John Murray, 1898), 443; de Ste. Croix, G. E. M. The Class