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

xvi Introduction

(chapter),whichwronglyimpliesadivisionofresponsibilitybetweenthe
emperorandtheSenatefortheprovinces,canbetraceddirectlybacktoargu-
mentsmadeintheearliestarticleincludedinvolume:‘‘Innosensewhat-
soeverdidtheSenate‘control’thesenatorialprovinces,andtheproconsuls
werenot‘responsibleto’it.BoththeemperorandtheSenate,predominantly
ofcoursetheformer,maderegulations(sometimesjointly)affectingallthe
provinces’’ (chapter , ‘‘The Emperor, the Senate and the Provinces,’’JRS
 (): ). In the articles of part III, which were published later, the
styleofargumentationisoftentighterandmoreexplicit,buttheconcerns
andthemesofthearticles,fromtothepresent,remainsubstantiallythe
same.Substanceabides.
Whenahistorianhaschallengedlong-heldscholarlyorthodoxiesabout
whothesovereignpowerinrepublicanRomewasandhowRomanpolitics
werepracticed,weshouldexpectspecialistsinthefieldofRomanrepubli-
canhistoryeithertolendsupporttohisarguments(e.g.,A.Yakobson,‘‘Peti-
tio et Largitio:PopularParticipationintheCenturiateAssemblyoftheLate
Republic,’’JRS[]:ff.),ortocritiquehiswork.(Foravaluablecon-
tributiontothedebateaboutRoman‘‘democracy,’’seeM.Jehne,ed.,Demo-
kratie in Rom? Die Rolle desVolkes in der Politik der römischen Republik[Stuttgart,
].)Suchdiversescholarlyresponsesareaclearsignoftheimportanceof
thedebateand,perhapsmoreimportant,ofthevitalityofthefieldofRoman
historyitselfatthebeginningofthenewmillennium.
Butwhateverscholarlyconsensuseventuallyemergesaboutwhothesov-
ereignpowerinrepublicanRomewasandwhatthenatureofRomanpolitics
was,therecanbenodoubtbutthatintheessaysofthisvolumeMillarhasre-
vivifiedRomanrepublicanhistorybyhavingthecouragetoaskwhatissurely
adeeper,andevenmoreimportantquestionthanthequestionofwhowas
thesovereignpowerinrepublicanRome:thatis,who,orwhatcommunity,
orcommunities,oughttobethesubjectofthehistoryofRome?
ForMillar,theanswertothisquestionisthatthehistoryof Romeis,or
shouldbe,undertheRepublicasundertheEmpire,thehistoryofthewhole
community,notjusttheSenate.If Millarisrightabouttheanswertothis
fundamentalquestion—andIbelieveheis—largepartsofthehistoryofthe
RomanRepublicandtheearlyRomanEmpireneedtoberewritten.Therein
liesthescholarlychallengeforthenextgenerationofRomanhistorians.

GuyMacLeanRogers

WestLodge

September