State and Subject Weoughttorecall,listeningtothesewords,thatthosewhocomposedthem
camefrompreciselythatItalianmiddleclasswhichJonesoncesupposedto
havebeenthegroupmostattachedtotherepublicanconstitution.^48
New documents allow us to hear more and more of the words which
peoplefelttobepubliclyappropriateunderAugustus,orwhichheutteredto
them.Weshouldnotbrushthesewordsasideasinsincere(whichwecannot
knowand,inanycase,isirrelevant)orasmisapprehensionsofsomeprivi-
legedrealitywhichisknowableinsomeotherway.Forthesepublicexpres-
sionsareasignificantpartofwhatwecanknowoftherealityoftheRoman
Empireforthosewholivedinit.Insteadweshouldbeimpressedbythesud-
dennessandextentofthecreationofasymbolicrelationshipbetweenthe
new source of powerand the provincial communities. It is possible to see
entiretowncentres,sayatAthens,oratLepcisMagna,^49 whichweretrans-
formedunderAugustusbytheerectionofbuildingsrelatedtotheemperor
andhishousehold.
I have concentrated on provincial towns, and the rituals, images, and
wordsinwhichtheyrepresentedtheimperialpower;ontheroleofsenato-
rialgovernorsinreinforcingthatsamemessage;andontherelativelyactive
roleofAugustushimself inaddressinghiswordstothepeople.Butinfact
therewasnowherewheretheimpactofmonarchywasmoreemphaticthan
inRomeitself.Thereisnoneedforacatalogueofbuildings.Letustakeone
ofourbestexamplesofthecontinuedfunctioningofres publica,namelythe
lawpassedin..todefineoffencesagainsttheacqueducts:‘‘TheConsul,
T.QuinctiusCrispinus,dulyputthequestiontothepeopleandthepeople
dulypassedavoteintheForum,beforetheRostraofthetempleofthedeified
JuliusonthethirtiethdayofJune.TheSergiantribewastovotefirst.’’^50
TheconsulspokefromthenewRostra,decoratedwiththespoilsofAc-
tium,andplacedinfrontofthetempleofJuliusCaesar;completedin..,
thetempleoccupiedacentralpointintheoldForum,blockingofftheRegia
from the large open space including the Comitium.The temple therefore
rosebehindtheconsulashehadthelawreadout;ifthedoorswereopen,the
crowdwouldhavebeenabletoseethestatueofthedeifiedCaesarwithin.
Totheright,someatleastofthecrowdcouldseethenewarchofAugustus
.A.H.M.Jones,‘‘TheImperiumofAugustus,’’JRS():Studies in Roman
Government and Law(),.
. SeeT.L.Shear,‘‘Athens:FromCity-StatetoProvincialTown,’’Hesperia():
;E.Smadja,‘‘L’inscriptionduculteimpérialedanslacité:l’exampledeLepcisMagna
audébutdel’Empire,’’Dial.d’hist.anc.():.
. Frontinus,De aquae ductu,(Loebtrans.).