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

 The Roman Republic

againCiceromadeadetailedspeechagainstit,addressedtothepeople;here
hedefendedtheinterestsofprivateproperty‘‘withafavourablereception
fromthepublicmeeting,’’orsohereports.^45 Thebillofalsodidnotbe-
comelaw;butthetwoagrarianbillsofCaesarindid,tobefollowedin
hisdictatorshipbythefirst-everextensiveprogrammeofcolonisationover-
seas,involvingsome,people.Conquest,overseascolonisation,andthe
politicalchangewhichwecall‘‘theRomanRevolution’’arethreeaspectsof
thesameprocess.
OneotherargumentwhichCicerohadusedin,againstRullus’proposal
forprocuringagriculturallandonwhichtosettlecitizens,wasthefactthat
theywouldthenbedeprivedofthedelightsofthecity:^46

Youindeed,Citizens,ifyouwilllistentome,keepholdofwhatyou

have,yourpoliticalinfluence[gratia],yourfreedom,yourvotes,your

dignity,yourcity,forum,games,festivals,andallyourotherassets.

Thesewereindeedrealassets.Itwouldbeamistaketoseepublicshowsand
ceremonials,andthesteadilyrisinglevelofthepublicmagnificencewhich
wasdemandedofoffice-holdersbythepeople,astrivialfeaturesoftheway
thatRomanpoliticsworked.^47 Lookedatstructurally,theywerebothaprice
paidtothepeopleforoffice,andameansbywhichthebenefitsof Empire
couldbefeltbythemassofthepeopleinRome.Thereisnoneedherefora
longcatalogueofshowsandliberalities.Itmaybesufficienttomention,for
example,thedinnerandthethree-monthsupplyofgraingiventothepeople
byCrassusasconsulin;^48 orCaesar’sruinouslyexpensivedisplaysasaedile
in;orthefamousgamesgivenbyScaurusasaedilein,whichinvolved
theconstructionofatemporarytheatrethreestoreyshigh,ofwhichthefirst
wasveneeredinmarble;thetheatreallegedlyseated,spectators,and
contained,statues.^49 Scauruswasalsotodisplayfemaleleopards,the
firsthippopotamusevershowninRome,andcrocodilesforwhichaspecial
water-channelhadtobecut.FromJaffahebroughtwhatwassaidtobethe
skeletonofthemonstertowhichAndromedahadbeenexposed.^50 Thepoint
wasnotsolelytoexhibitmagnificence,ortoamazethepublic.Scaurushad

. Cic.,Att.,,(Shackleton-Bailey,no.).
.De leg. ag.,–.
. ThebesttreatmentoftheroleofpublicmagnificenceinthelateRepublicisP.Veyne,
Le pain et le cirque(),pt.iii,trans.asBread and Circuses().SeealsoYakobson(n.).
. Plut.,Crass.,.
. Pliny,NH,–.
. Pliny,NH,(leopards);(hippopotamusandcrocodiles);,(monsterfrom
Jaffa).