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

 The Roman Republic

Yakobson that because the elections werecompetitive, even elections in the
centuriateassembly(comitia centuriata)representedapowerofchoicebythe
peoplewhichcouldandoftendidextendbeyondthehighestclasses.^13
Secondly,andevenmoreimportant,itwasthepeople,andnottheSen-
ate,whocouldlegislate;theydidsobyvotinginperson;alexorplebiscitum
wasbydefinitionsomethingputtothepopulusorplebs,andformallyvoted
onbythem;asiswellknown,inthelateRepublictheassemblywhichvoted
onlegeswasalmostalwaysthetribalassembly(comitia tributa)ofthethirty-
fivetribes.Intherelativelyrarecaseswheresuchalawconferredarightor
privilegeonanindividual,thistoocouldbeseenasafavourconferredbythe
Romanpeople:soJuliusCaesarinearlycomplainedthattheSenateand
consulsweredenyinghimtherightconferredbythelawproposedbytheten
tribunesin,andpassedbythepeople,namelythathewouldbeallowedto
standfortheconsulshipinabsence:‘‘hewasgrievedthatthefavourconferred
onhimbytheRomanpeopleshouldbeinjuriouslydeniedhimbyhisene-
mies.’’^14 Itismoreimportanttorecallthattherighttoproposelegislationto
thepeoplehadbeenremovedfromthetribunesinSulla’slegislationinthe
lates,wasthesubjectofrepeatedpopularpressurethroughthes,and
wasrestoredin.Thereafter,theprocessoflegislationbecameagainwhat
ithadbeenbefore,oneofthecentralelementsinthepublicpoliticalprocess,
andthemainagentofchange.Thisneedstobestressed:thepassingofnew
lawsbythepeoplewastheessentialvehiclebywhichrapidandfundamental
changecameaboutinthelasttwentyyearsoftheRepublic.
Should we see this twenty-year period, from  to ..,on which I
intendtoconcentrate,asitselfrepresentingthebreakdownofapreviously
successfulandstablepoliticalorder?Inawiderperspective,thatwouldin-
deed be paradoxical. For it was precisely in this period that Roman direct
rule,andRomantaxation,suddenlyexpandedthroughAsiaMinortoSyria,
thebanksoftheEuphrates,andtheedgeofthedesertinonedirection,and
totheNorthSeaintheother.AsPompeyclaimedinaspeechaddressedto
thepeoplesometimeafterhisreturnin,‘‘hehadreceivedAsiaasthefur-
thest of provinces and restored it to his homeland as a central one (in the
Empire).’’^15 Itshouldbenotedthatthisclaimwasmadeinacontio,aspeech
addressedtoameetingofthepeople.Therefollowedthegreattriumphcele-
bratedinRomebyPompeyin,inwhichtheextentofhisconquests,the

. A.Yakobson,‘‘Petitio et largitio:PopularParticipationintheCenturiateAssemblyof
theLateRepublic,’’JRS():.
. Caesar,Bell. Civ.,,,onwhichseeCarter(n.).
. Pliny,NH,;ORF^3 ,Cn.PompeiusMagnusV/.