Political Character of the Classical Roman Republic PoliticalAuthorityandExternalRelations
To the peoples of the Mediterranean world Roman commanders—consuls
orpraetorsintheiryearofoffice,orproroguedforasecondyear(andvery
occasionallymore)—couldseemlikekings,disposingoflargearmies,send-
ingandreceivingembassies,correspondingwithkingsornegotiatingwith
theminperson,destroyingorsparingcities,sellingwholepopulationsinto
slavery. In the Greek world theycould take on quite precise roles fulfilled
bykings:FlamininuspresidedattheNemeangames(Plut.,Flam.),which
PhilipV had attended a few years before (Pol. , , ); Aemilius Paullus
placedhisownstatueonabaseintendedforoneofPerseusatDelphi(Plut.,
Aem.,),andusedtheroyallibraryandhuntinggrounds(Aem.,;Pol.
,,–).IfonlyoneRomanimperator,ScipioAfricanus,hadactuallybeen
hailedasaking,bytheSpaniards(Pol.,;),thecomparisonwasquite
conscious,andwasformallyexpressedinthedecorationswhichtheSenate
sentashonourstoalliedkings.^4
Butofcoursethis‘‘monarchic’’powerwasconfinedintimeandspaceand
restrictedbytheprocessesoftheRomanconstitution.Enniusmightrepre-
sentScipioasclaimingthesolerighttoimmortality(Epig.–Vahlen/–
Warmington);butindividualpowerandambitionwerestilleffectivelyre-
strained.Noofficecouldbegainedwithoutpopularelection.Theprovinces
to be allotted each year, and the prorogations of last year’s office-holders,
weredecided,almostinvariably,bytheSenate,assoonastheconsulsentered
officeonMarch.Almostinvariably,becauseevenaftertheprorogations
andprovinceshadbeendecidedandthelotdrawn,thearrangementscould
bechangedbyadecreeoftheSenate(senatus consultum)followedbyaplebi-
scitum(alawpassedbytheplebeianassembly—theconcilium plebis)(Livy,
,);orthetribunes,byalawproposeddirectlytothepeople,couldattempt
toupsetaprorogationwhichhadbeendecidedinadvance(,,).Innor-
maltimesthelotdecidedwhichconsulorwhichpraetortookwhichprov-
ince,^5 andthelotthusgaveorremovedwhatmightbeaman’sonlychance
forafamousvictory.Ifthechancewerenottakenintheyearofoffice,itwas
either lost forever to a man’s successor (see, e.g., Pol. , , ,on ..),
orcouldonlybekeptalivebyprorogation.Hence,asPolybiusrecords(,
–),thetermsofferedbyFlamininustoPhilipVdependedonwhetherhe
. E.Rawson,‘‘Caesar’sHeritage:HellenisticKingsandTheirRomanEquals,’’JRS
():.
. Foracontemporaryreflectionofthis,seeEnnius,Ann.Vahlen/Warmington:
‘‘GreecewasassignedtoSulpiciusbythelot,andGalliatoCotta’’(..).