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

 The Roman Republic

There the storyas we have it stops; it is simplya moment of pathos in
Appian’s narrative of the civil wars.We hear nothing of the nationalityof
the merchants, the nature of theircargoes, the size of their ships,or their
destination,ordestinations.Butwedogathersomethingwhichisquiteim-
portant.Asappearsrepeatedlyinthenarrativesofthisperiod,theoperation
ofmerchantshipsbetweendifferentregionsoftheMediterraneanissimply
presumedaspartofthesocialandeconomicframeworkwithinwhichmili-
taryand political conflicts were conducted. Such long-distance trade may
havebeenaffectedbywarandcivilwar;itcertainlydidnotstop,eveninthe
mostimmediateareasofconflict.Norapparentlydidtheday-to-dayopera-
tionsof localinshorefishermen.Oratleast,ifwewantaparadigmofthe
limited effects of these apparently major conflicts on local economic life,
we have it to hand in the splendid anecdote of Sulla and the fishermen of
HalaeinGreece.WhenSullawasinGreecein–,onhiswaybackfrom
AsiatoItaly,hewentforacuretoAedepsusinthenorthofEuboea.When
hewaswalkingontheshorethere,somefishermenappearedandpresented
himwithagiftoffish.Butwhenheaskedwheretheycamefromandthey
replied that theycame from Halae, hewas furious; forafter thevictoryof
OrchomenusinhehadorderedthedestructionofthetownsofAnthe-
don,Larymna,andHalae.However,onreflection,heforgavethem,andthe
peopleof Halae,whoevidentlyhadabandonedtheactualsiteofthetown,
gainedthecouragetoreturntoit.^11 Soevenwhereasmalltownwasevacu-
atedordestroyed,thepeoplemightcontinueearningtheirlivingalmostas
ifithadnothappened.
Soshouldwetrytheextremehypothesisthatthegreatconflictsofthesix
decadesdowntothebattleofActiumin..reallymadenosignificant
differenceatall?Thattheordinaryworldof localcommunallife,customs,
and work just went on unaffected? Again we might use as a paradigm the
storywhichDiodorustellsof hisownvisittoEgyptinor..about
howanEgyptianmoblynchedavisitingRomanwhohadkilledacat.^12
EgyptwastoremainoutsidedirectRomancontroluntil..;andinthis
caselocalevidence,intheformofpapyriinGreekandEgyptian,mightone
daymakepossibleamoredetailedassessmentofwhateverchangesRoman
rulebroughtabout.Herewealsohaveanextraelement,theEgyptianmonu-
mental and inscriptional evidence—for instance, the remarkable funerary
stelaeofthehighpriestsofMemphis,whichstretchfromthethirdcentury

. Plutarch,Sulla.

. Diodorus,,(visitinthOlympiad,–..),and,–.