The Roman Republic
Nepospresentsthiseven-handedgenerosityashavingamoralbasis,thatis
the maintenance of privateofficiumregardless of circumstances. But it also
had another purpose,of course—that of personal survival through drastic
swingsoffortune:why,Nepossays(,),shouldonenotregardasremark-
abletheprudenceofamanwhoamidsomanyandsoterriblecivilstorms
winsthroughtosafety?
Aprominentequestrianinthisperiodcouldnotinfacthelpbeingpart
ofthepoliticalscene,evenifhedidnotacceptprefecturesortakeuppublic
contracts (, : ‘‘for no enterprise did he become a suretyora contractor,’’
mayrefertothis).AsNepos’biographyshows,alongwithamassofother
evidence,therewasnosocialbarrierbetweenequestrianfamiliesandsena-
torialones;indeed,eventoputitlikethatismisleading,sincewhatweare
concernedwithisasinglesocialclass,peopleofsufficientlandedwealthto
liveofftheirincome.Withinthatclasssomefamilieshadacontinuous,or
relativelycontinuous,traditionof holdingpublicoffice,andthusentering
theSenate.Otherfamiliesmightcomeinto,ordropoutof,theSenate.Since
Syme’sThe Roman Revolutionattentionhasalwaystendedtoconcentrateon
upwardmobility,thatis,theentryof‘‘newmen’’fromtheItalianmunicipali-
tiesintotheSenate.^13 Butoftenthese‘‘newmen’’wereinonesensenotnew
atall;theyhadalreadyenjoyedfromyouthonwardspersonalconnections
andfriendshipswithprominentsenators.Thisisparticularlywellattestedin
thecaseofCicero.^14 SuchpeoplewerenewtotheelectoralprocessinRome,
oratleasttotheapexofit,electionasconsul.Buttheywereveryoftennot
newtosenatorialsociety,eventhemostaristocraticelementsofit.
IfthiswastrueofamanfromamunicipiumlikeCicero,itwasofcourse
even more true of a rich equestrian from an old Roman family, like Atti-
cus.Thewealthwhichheinheritedfromhisfatherwasalreadyconsiderable,
millionsestercesaccordingtoNepos(,);butwealsoknowfromNepos
(, –) that his uncle, Q. Caecilius,who died in , adopted him by will
andlefthimafurthermillionsesterces—thatis,tentimesthelevelthat
Augustus was later to establish as the minimum senatorial census. Nepos,
however,tactfullyleavesouttheinformationwhichValeriusMaximussup-
plies(,,),thatCaeciliushadpreviouslyimpliedthathewouldleaveall
thistoLucullus;publicindignationatthisbreachoftrustwassuchthatthe
mobdraggedCaecilius’bodythroughthestreetsofRome.
That connection with Lucullus is just one indication of the absence of
anysocialbarrierbetweenequestriansandsenators;andAtticushimself,as
. Seeesp.T.P.Wiseman,NewMenintheRomanSenate,B.C.–A.D.(Oxford,).
. Foragoodaccountofthis,T.Mitchell,Cicero:TheAscendingYears(NewHaven,).