The Roman Republic
politicallife,fromthepointofviewofthepeopleofRome.Indoingsowe
need not in the least deny the important role of the upperclasses: the in-
herentmilitarismofRomanupper-classlife;thecompetitivenessandsearch
forpersonalandfamilyglory;thevastscaleofpersonalprofiteering;andthe
steadily rising standards of personal wealth, luxury, and display. All that is
beyondquestion,andtheexpansionoftheRomanEmpirewouldnothave
taken place in the sameway without it. But we can still try the stratagem
ofadoptingaperspectivewhichisnotthatoftheupperclasses,andseeing
whetheritdoesnotmakeasgoodorbettersenseoftheevidencebeforeus.
Suppose,thatis,thatweconsidertheRomanpoliticalsystem,Romanmili-
taryactivities,andtheexpansionandexploitationoftheEmpire,interms
ofhowfartheysatisfiedtheinterestsofthevoters,theRomanpeople.
Thepoliticalquiescenceofthefirsthalfofthesecondcentury..would
thenappearnotasdominationbytheSenate,butastheresultofaseriesof
relativelybrief,successful,profitable,andgloriouswarsintheEastonthe
onehand;and,ontheother,ofthecontinuedavailabilityinItalyofnewly
conqueredland,whichcouldbedividedoutforsettlement,atanyratedown
tothes.^21 Thepoliticalturmoilofthesecondhalfofthesecondcentury
wouldthenbeseenasarising,forinstance,frominvolvementinlongandun-
profitablemajorwarsinSpain,from..onwards;thenfromsuspicions
of improperconductandprofiteeringonthepartofsenatorialcommand-
ers—weshouldrecallthefamoustrialofSulpiciusGalbabeforetheRoman
peoplein,andthepassageinthesameyearofthefirsttribunicianlawto
setupacourttotrysenatorialgovernorsandoffice-holdersforextortion;^22
but,aboveall,conflictsnowaroseovertheoccupationanduseofanowfixed
andlimitedstockofpubliclandinItaly.
Idonotneedtorehearseagainallthethemesofpopularpoliticsinthe
later second century: the use of the funds left by Attalus of Pergamon to
Rome;theexploitationoftherevenuesofAsia;suspicionsovercorruption
andbriberyonthepartofsenators;thelawsongraindistributioninRome,
sofaratafixedprice,notfree;thetreasonlawofSaturninus,whoseterms
werequotedearlier;thefirstlawsforestablishingcoloniesorlandallotments
overseas;themajorlawof..layingdownwhatwastobedoneinAsia
MinorandinMacedonia,andimposingonoffice-holderstheobligationto
. Formyviewofthisperiod,obviouslynottheonlyonewhichispossible,see‘‘The
PoliticalCharacteroftheClassicalRomanRepublic,–BC,’’JRS(),(chapter
inthisvolume).
. See J. S. Richardson, ‘‘The Purpose of the Lex Calpurnia de repetundis,’’JRS
():.