The Roman Republic
wouldbeproroguedornot.Relativelymildtermscouldhavebeenproposed,
andthewarendedinspring.Butprorogationwasdecided,andthecon-
sulswerebothallottedGaul;thereforeFlamininus’emissariestotheSenate
recommendedofferingharshtermstoPhilip,andpeacewasnotmade.Only
thenwasthewayopenforCynoscephalae.
Thespheresofactivityofoffice-holders,theforcesavailabletothem,and
thefinancesallottedalldepended,therefore,onadebateandvoteconducted
in the Senate at the beginning of each year.Thereafter, for the rest of the
year, time and distance might remove immediate strategic and diplomatic
decisionmakingfromthecollectivepoliticalprocessinRome,andleaveit
tothediscretionofthecommanderinthefield.Butyetaconsuloncam-
paign,atleastinItaly,mightthinkofconsultingtheSenate(Livy,,),or
actuallydoso(,,–).Communitiesintheareaconcernedmightre-
porttotheSenatethataconsulhadlefthisprovince,andemissariesbesent
bytheSenatetotellhimtoreturn(,,–).Whenoneconsulsuffered
defeatinHistriain,theSenateinstructedtheothertoleaveLiguriaand
crossovertoGallia,raisingtroopsfromthecommunitiesthere(,,).The
SenatemightevencirculatealliedcitiesandleaguesintheGreekEastwith
a decree of the Senate to the effect that they should not obey requests for
forcesfromRomancommandersinthearea,unlessthesewereinaccordance
withthetermssetbytheSenate(Pol.,,;,;Livy,,).
Moreover,allthedealingsandagreementsof Romancommanderswith
foreignpeopleswereconditionalandweresubjecttosubsequentratification
inRomebytheSenateand(surprisinglyoften)bythepeople.Itisnotmerely
thatPolybiusrepeatedlyrecordsthattreatiesmadeinthefieldweresubject
toratificationbythepeople;^6 butdocumentaryevidenceshowshowoffice-
holdersabroadspokeastherepresentativesofSenateandPeople.Orrather
theotherwayround.ForintheonlysurvivingcontemporaryLatindocu-
mentwhichillustratesdecisionmakingintheprovinces,AemiliusPaullus,
asproconsulinFurtherSpainin,laysdownthatagroupofpeopleshould
befreeandretaintheirland,‘‘solongastheRomanPeopleandSenatewish
it.’’^7 Thesequenceisinstructive.
Hadthisgroupbeendissatisfied,however,theironlyrecoursewouldhave
beentosendanembassytotheSenate,andtotheSenatealone.Forthereis
noevidencethatforeignembassieswereeverbroughttospeakbeforethe
people.InthiscrucialrespectRomedidofferamarkedcontrasttotheAthe-
niandemocracy.Hencetherearosetheimageabroad,perfectlyreflectedin
. E.g.,Pol.,,;,–;,;,;cf.Livy,,.
.ILS;Degrassi,ILLRP^2 .