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

 The Augustan Revolution

thattheywerepeacefulandfreefromwar,whilethemorepowerful...he
retained, his professed motive in this was that the Senate might fearlessly
enjoythefinestportionoftheempire.’’
Thesearetheonlyaccountsofthedivisionoftheprovincesin.Forthe
settlementofourevidenceisevenpoorer,asinglesentenceinCassiusDio
(,,):‘‘Theyalsopermittedhimtoholdonceforalltheofficeofpro-
consul,sothathehadneithertolayitdownuponenteringthepomerium[the
sacredboundaryofthecityofRome]nortohaveitrenewedagain,andthey
gavehiminthesubjectterritoryauthoritysuperiortothatofthegovernor
ineachinstance.’’
Thepaucityofthesources—combinedwiththefactthattheyaremainly
inGreek—hasledtoinsolubleproblemsabouthowAugustus’positionwas
describedatthetime,or(alternatively)whatthenatureofhisimperiumvis-
à-vis the provinces was. None the less, there is a fairconsensus of opinion
aboutthedivisionoftheprovincesitself,andthenatureoftheadministra-
tivepatternwhichitproduced.Thiscanbesummarizedasfollows:Augustus
undertooktheadministrationofalargeprovince,comprisingSpain,Gaul,
andSyria,foraperiodoftenyears,possiblywithproconsularauthority.He
governedtheseprovincesthroughlegatesappointedby,andresponsibleto,
himself.Theotherprovincesweregovernedbypromagistratesresponsible
totheSenate.DowntoAugustuswasalsoconsul.In,whileretaining
his province, he abandoned the consulate and accepted ‘‘greaterimperium,’’
which gave him superior authority to promagistrates and enabled him to
intervene outside his province when necessary. In normal circumstances,
however,controloftheprovinceswasdividedbetweentheEmperorandthe
Senate.^2
Thischapterisnotconcernedwiththeformalaspectsofthesettlements
andthedivisionoftheprovinces(excepttonotethatthewordprovincein
thesingularisnotusedbyanyancientauthoritytorefertotheimperialprov-
incesasawhole).^3 Itspurposeistoexaminethestandardviewoftheprac-
ticaldivisionbetweenthetwotypesofprovince,anditsimplications.The

fiable.See‘‘‘Senatorial’Provinces:AnInstitutionalisedGhost,’’Ancient World():
(chapterinthisvolume).
. ForthissummaryIhavereliedmainlyonH.H.Scullard,From the Gracchi to Nero^2
(),–,whichIhaveusedasbeinganaccurate,clear,andsuccinctaccountofthe
acceptedview.
.Afortiori,therefore,itisunsoundtoconstrueAugustusastheproconsulofaprovince
inrespectofwhichhegotrecurrentgrantsofpublicfundsfromtheSenate;soA.H.M.
Jones,JRS():Studies in Roman Government and Law(),.