The Emperor, the Senate, and the Provinces TheSenateandtheImperialProvinces
WehavethusonepieceofevidenceshowingadecreeoftheSenateforpub-
licprovincesonly,andafairamountshowingtheSenatedealingwithindi-
vidualpublicprovincesorwithcommunitieswithinthem.WeretheSenate’s
activitiesconfinedtosuchprovinces?Sofarasthespecificallylaw-making
functionsoftheSenatego,theanswerisclearlyno.Thereisnosuggestion
inthesources(apartfromtheoneletterofPliny)thatmodificationsinpri-
vateorpubliclawmadebytheSenatewerevalidinonlyhalftheEmpire.
Ifproof isneeded,itisexplicitlystatedthattheSenatus Consultum Apronia-
num, passed in the reign of Hadrian, allowed legacies to ‘‘all communities
whichareundertheruleoftheRomanpeople.’’^46 Similarly,thepreambleof
theGnomonoftheIdios Logosstatesthatitsprovisionsarethoselaiddownby
Augustus,withmodificationsbylaterEmperors,bytheSenate,byprefects,
orbytheIdios Logoshimself.^47 OtherdocumentsfromEgyptshowrequests
fortheappointmentofaguardian‘‘inaccordancewiththeLexIuliaetTitia
andadecreeoftheSenate’’(datio tutoris‘‘elegeIuliaetTitiaetexs.c.’’).^48
ThetextoftheSenatus Consultum Calvisianumof..,establishinganew
procedure for cases of extortion (repetundae) against provincial governors,
comesfromapublicprovince,Cyrene,butisprefacedbyanimperialedict
andclearlyreferstoallprovinces.^49 In..theSenate,votingGermanicus
hiseasterncommand,gavehim‘‘agreaterimperium,inallregionshemight
visit,thanthoseofthegovernorsholdingofficetherebythelotorbyim-
perial appointment.’’^50 In the Senate resolved,on the motion of Nero,
thatitshouldbeforbiddentoproposeinprovincialcouncilstosendembas-
siestotheSenateinpraiseofeitherproconsulsorimperiallegates.^51 Finally,
thereisthedecreeoftheSenateaboutreducingtheexpensesongladiatorial
games (senatus consultum de sumptibus ludorum gladiatorum minuendis)of–
.Thetwotextswehaveofitbothcomefromplacesinpublicprovinces,
SardisinAsiaandItalicainBaetica.Buttheregulationsreducingtheprice
.Dig.,,;Ulp.,Reg.,.
. SeeS.Riccobono,Il Gnomon dell’ Idios Logos(),esp.pp.–,alsoR.Tauben-
schlag,The Law of Greco-Roman Egypt in the Light of the Papyri^2 (),.
. Cavenaille,Corp. Pap. Lat.,,(restored),(restored).
.SEGIX,;EhrenbergandJones,no..Cf.F.deVisscher,Les édits d’Auguste décou-
verts à Cyrène(),–.IdonotsharetheviewofP.A.Brunt,‘‘ChargesofProvincial
MaladministrationundertheEarlyPrincipate,’’Historia():,thatthisprocedure
soonlapsed.
. Tac.,Ann.,,.Cf.,,.
. Tac.,Ann.,,–.