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

 The Roman Republic

(seetextton.),couldalsobeaccompaniedbyshowslastingmanydays,
asinthatofScipioAfricanusin(Pol.,,).Polybiusalsorecordsthe
temporarytheatreerectedintheCircusbyL.Aniciusinassociationwithhis
triumphin(,).Morecommonwasthedeviceofvotivegames.If
theSenateapproved,asumcouldbesetasidefromthemoneycarriedina
triumphtofulfilthevowmadetoagodintheeventofvictory.SoL.Ful-
viusNobilior’striumphoverAetoliainwasdistinguishedbyperformers
fromGreece,thefirstathleticcompetitioneverheldinRome,andahuntof
lionsandpanthers(Livy,,–;,).ButbytheSenatefelttheneed
torestrictthemeansofgatheringresourcesforgames,andinlaiddown
thatexpenditureshouldnotexceedthetotalspentonNobilior’striumphin
(Livy,,–).
Suchdisplaysbyconsulsorproconsulscouldbeofdirectrelevancetothe
futureelectoralprospectsofthemanhimself(asopposedtohissons)onlyin
therarecaseofapossiblesecondconsulship,orforthemostvigorouslycon-
testedelectionofall,forthecensorship—anofficewhich,aswesometimes
forget,gavefarmore,andmorecontinuous,politicalpowerinRomethanany
other.SoM’.AciliusGlabrio,whohadtriumphedin(Livy,,–),
wasaformidablecandidateforthecensorshipin,aboveall‘‘becausehe
hadgivenlargesses,bywhichhehadattractedalargepartofthepopulation
to himself’’ (, , –). But at a lower level, the curule aedileship, the
givingofelaborateshowswasbecomingregularlyassociatedwithoffice—
forinstance,thefirsttheatricalshowstobeputonattheMegalesia,in
(,,),orthesixty-threepanthersandfortybearsandelephantsshownat
thecircusgamesin(,,).Itisimpossiblenottoseetheseascompeti-
tive gestures designed towin popular favourand enhance future electoral
prospects.Likefuneralorationsandgames,andliketriumphs(whosepublic
imageisreflectedinPlautus,Bacchides–),thesedisplaysweredirected
tothepublicatlarge—nottodefinedgroupsofsupportersbuttowhatever
sectionofthepopulacehappenedtoturnup.
Asregardstheelectionsthemselves,wehadbetterstartbyadmittinghow
littlewe know. Granted that ten years’ military servicewas a prerequisite,
aswas(almostcertainly)thecensusofanequestrian,howmanymentypi-
callysoughtanypublicofficeineachgeneration,andhowmanytried,and
failed,toreachthehigheroffices?Inotherwordshowfardidunwillingness
tostand,lackoffunds,orananticipationoffailureservetolimitcompetition
from the beginning? We know for instance that Cato’s great-grandfather,
presumablybornaround,hadservedasacavalryman,andwasthusprob-
ablyqualifiedforoffice(Plut.,Cato,).Didneitherhe,northegrandfather,
northefatherchoosetostand,ordidtheytryandsufferdefeat?