Rome, the Greek World, and the East, Vol. 1 - The Roman Republic and the Augustan Revolution

Political Character of the Classical Roman Republic 

thefirstbookofMaccabees(),ofthecounsellorssittingeverydayand
decidingmajoraffairsofstate.Itisnotnecessarytogiveexamplesoftheend-
lesssequenceofforeignembassieswhichcametospeakintheSenate.One
documentaryexampleofaresponsebytheSenatewilldo,namelytheletter
inwhichSpuriusPostumius,praetorin,wrotetotelltheAmphictyonic
LeaguewhattheSenatehaddecidedinresponsetoitsembassyonrightsof
asylum.^8 TheSenatewasalsotheonlybodyinRomewhichsentambassa-
dors.ThuswefindtheyoungAemiliusLepidus,asambassadortoPhilipV
in,remindingthekingofwhattheSenatehaddecided(Pol.,,);
orPopiliusLaenasbeginninghisfamousconfrontationwithAntiochusIV
outside Alexandria in  by handing the king the text of a decree of the
Senate(Pol.,,).
TheSenatethusexercisedarealgovernmental,even,onemightsay,par-
liamentary,functionindebatingtherepliestoforeignembassies.Itwasof
courseintheSenatein,andinresponsetoanembassy,thatCatodeliv-
eredhisspeechonbehalfoftheRhodians.^9 PeopleintheGreekcitiesknew
verywellthattheirdiplomaticeffortsmightneedtoextendbeyondRoman
commandersinthefieldtoreachtheSenateitselfinRome(Syll.^3 );and
alsothat,oncethere,theymustalsogotheroundsofthehousesofindividual
senators,topaytheirrespectsandgainsupport.^10
Thus,asPolybiusexplicitlystates(,,–),thosewhocameondiplo-
maticbusinesstoRomeintheabsenceoftheconsulscouldnotbutthinkof
Romangovernmentasessentiallyaristocratic.Yet,asPolybiushimselfmakes
clear,thatwasnotthewholestory,evenasregardswarandforeignaffairs.
Thedeclarationofwarandthemakingofpeacetreatiesbothdependedon
thevotesofthepeople.Often,ofcourse,thepeoplesimplyratifiedproposals
puttothembyamagistrate,followingadecreeoftheSenate.Soitwaswith
thedeclarationofwaronAntiochusIIIin(Livy,,–),withScipio’s
settlement of Asia in  (Pol. , , –),with peacewith Aetolia in the
sameyear(,,),andwiththedeclarationofwaronPerseusin(Livy
, , –). But the great issues of foreign relations did not always pass
withoutpublicdebate.Intheconsul,Cn.Lentulus,hadvetoedadecree
oftheSenateonpeacewithCarthage,whereupontwotribuneshadcarried

. R.K.Sherk,Roman Documents from the Greek East(),no..
. AulusGellius,NA,ORF^3 ,CatoXLII;cf.Livy,,.SeeG.Calboli,Marci
Porci Catonis Oratio pro Rhodiensibus().
. See,e.g.,Livy,,(cf.n.),and,farmoreimportant,Syll.^3 ,onambassa-
dorsfromTeosactingonbehalfofAbdera,onwhichseeL.Robert,BCH():–,
andREA():,n.,andP.Herrmann,ZPE():.