The Roman Republic
ensuringtheallocationofthecontractsbythecensors,inRome,beforethe
people.Cicerohimselfemphasizesthispointinarguing,beforethepeople,
againsttheRullanagrarianbillof(De leg.ag.,,Loebtrans.):‘‘itisnot
permittedtofarmouttherevenuesanywhereexceptinthiscity,fromthis
place[i.e.,theRostra],beforeyouallinfullassembly.’’TheinscribedLatin
lawofBantia,whateveritsprecisedateorpurpose,embodiesasimilarcon-
cern: not only must office-holders and senators swear within five days to
obey the law, but they must do so in public, during daylight, at specified
locationsborderingontheForum—eitherinfrontofCastor’stempleorad
aerarium,thatis,beforethetempleofSaturn.^18 Moreover,justenoughisleft
of the inscribed decree of the Senate of a treaty with Astypalaea in to
reveal(perhaps)thetracesofahighlypopulistlaw,orlaws,oftheGracchan
period.Therelevantclausemayhavereadasfollows,andmayrefertoRome
ratherthanAstypalaea:‘‘thataccordingtotheRubrianandAcilianlaw[or
laws]acopy[ofthisalliance]shouldbesetupinapublicandconspicuous
place,exposedwherethemajorityofcitizenswalkby,andthateachyearit
shouldbereadaloud[?intheassembly].’’^19
Butthemajornewitemwhichmustaffectourviewofthenatureofthe
state in this period is the lawof / on the eastern provinces (see n. );
firstly,itisapopularlaw;secondly,ittooobligesoffice-holders(otherthan
thetribunes)totakeanoath;thirdly,itgivesdetailedinstructionstoboth
consulsandgovernors.Mostsignificantofall,perhaps,aretheprovisionslaid
downastowhatstepsthegovernorof Macedoniashouldtakewithregard
toanewlyconqueredareaineasternThrace;heistoproceedthere,tosee
tothecollectionofthepublicrevenues(i.e.,thoseoftheRomanstate),and
infuturetospendthereaperiodofnotlessthansixtydays.
The notion that the funds of the Roman state were a perquisite of the
Roman people, and should be at its disposition had been expressed most
clearlyofallinGaiusGracchus’speechtothepeopleaboutalawapparently
intended to re-adjust royal territories in Asia Minor, at some point in the
s.AlmostallthethemesandformsofpersuasionwhichIhavebeentry-
ingtoemphasizeareembodiedinthequotationbyAulusGelliusofpartof
thisspeech(NA,).Gracchusisspeakingtothepeople:
. Riccobono,FIRA^2 I, no. ; P. F. Girard, F. Senn, and V. Giuffré,Lois des romains^7
(),no..SeenowM.Crawford,ed.,Roman StatutesI–II(),no..
. For text and discussion of this document, long since destroyed, see R. K. Sherk,
Roman Documents from the Greek East(),no.;Sherk(n.),no.(textanddiscussion).
Foracomparablepublicityclause,notetheFragmentumTarentinum,Girardetal.(n.),
no.,ll.ff.SeenowCrawford(n.),no..