The Augustan Revolution
provincesassuch?Thequestionneedsananswer,forintheorthodoxview
theircontroloftheseprovinceswasoneoftheprimefunctionsoftheSen-
ateunderthePrincipate.^40 Thereisinfactonesingleitemofevidencewhich
showsadecreeoftheSenate(senatus consultum)whichappliedtoallprocon-
sularprovincesandtothesealone.WhenPlinyinBithyniawasaskedtotake
cases‘‘concerningacknowledgementofchildrenandgrantingoffree-born
rightstoformerslaves,’’helookedup(respexi ad)therelevantdecreeofthe
Senate,butfoundthatitcoveredonlyprovincesgovernedbyproconsuls.It
maybenotedthatitwasonlyfromthespecificwording,notfromthevery
factthatitwasadecreeoftheSenate,thatPlinyrealizedthatitappliedonly
totheseprovinces.TrajanaskedhimtosendonthedecreeoftheSenate,and
nothingmoreisheardofthematter.^41
Thisoneitemofevidenceapart,wehaveastatementofageneralprinciple
madebyNeroatthebeginningof hisreign:‘‘LettheSenateretainitsold
functions!LetItalyandthepublicprovincestaketheirstandbeforethetri-
bunalsoftheconsuls,andlettheconsulsgrantthemaccesstotheFathers[i.e.,
theSenate]:forthearmiesentrustedtohischargehewouldhimselfbere-
sponsible.’’^42 ThattheSenatedidhearembassiesfrompublicprovincesneeds
noproof—forinstance,thatfromBaeticain..whichaskedpermission
foratempletoTiberiusandLivia.^43 Wealsohavedocumentaryevidenceof
decree of the Senate passed in response to the requests of communities or
individualswithinsenatorialprovinces.Forinstancethereisthedecreeof
theSenateof–allowingtherequestofPergamonforasecondseriesof
quinquennialiselasticgamesinhonourofTrajanandZeusPhilios.Butthisis
amixedcase,fortheinscriptionalsocontainsanextractfromthemandataof
Trajanspecifyingtheconditions,andreferringtothedecreeoftheSenate,
and also a fragmentary letterof Trajan to Pergamon, probably in response
toanembassy.^44 ThereisalsothedecreeoftheSenateofpermittingthe
establishmentofafairormarketontheSaltusBeguensisinAfrica,andthat
from the reign of Pius allowing Cyzicus in Asia to have a corps of young
men(neoi).^45
. See,e.g.,O’BrienMoore,‘‘Senatus,’’P-W,Supp.VI,–.
. Pliny,Epp.,–.
. Tac.,Ann.,,.
. Tac.,Ann.,,I.
.CILIII,IGRIV,AbbottandJohnson,no..Thefragmentaryearlier
partoftheinscriptionmay(assupposedinIGR)containaletteroftheproconsulenclosing
themandataandthedecreesoftheSenate.
.FIRA^2 I,,.