Conceptions and Sources
Witnesses:
M.GaviusSquillaGallicanus [consul,]
M’.AciliusGlabrio [consul,]
T.SextiusLateranus [consul,]
C.SeptimiusSeverus [consul,]
P.JuliusScapulaTertullus [consul,/]
T.VariusClemens [ex–ab epistulis]
M.BassaeusRufus [ex–praetorianprefect]
P.TaruttienusPaternus [praetorianprefectby]
Sex.(TigidiusPeren)nis [probablypraetorianprefect]
Q.CervidiusScaevola [lawyer,prefectofVigiles,]
Q.LarciusEuripianus
T.FlaviusPiso [prefectofthecornsupply,]Firstly,theproceduresrecordedfallclearlywithinthewidercategory,fun-
damentaltothenatureof imperialgovernment,ofpetition-and-response.
Secondly, the document clearly illustrates one sub-categoryof this proce-
dure,thewayinwhichprovincialgovernorsmightsendonpetitionsfrom
privateindividualstotheemperor,withacoveringletterofrecommenda-
tion.Inthiscasetheterminologyused(suffraganteVallio Maximiano perepistu-
lam)perfectlyexemplifiesG.E.M.deSteCroix’sjustlyfamousdemonstra-
tion—givenlongbeforethisinscriptionwasknown—ofhowthemeaning
ofwordswiththeroot‘‘suffrag-’’shiftedfromvotesbyequalstopetitions
forfavoursaddressedbyintermediariestosuperiors.Inotherwordsitisa
clearexampleofhowlanguagewasdistortedbytheimpactofmonarchy.^47
Thirdly,therighttogranttheRomancitizenshipwasfromthebeginning
oneoftheperquisitesofthemonarchicruleexercisedbytheRomanemper-
ors.WehadknownalreadyfromPliny’scorrespondencewithTrajan(,;
)thattherewereimperialcommentarii,orarchives,inwhichthenamesof
therecipientsofbeneficia(grants)wereentered;butnotthattherewasa‘‘com-
mentariusofpersonsgrantedRomancitizenship’’byalltheemperors(other
thansubsequentlyunrecognisedpretenders)backtoAugustushimself.Nor,
beforethepublicationofthisinscription,didwepossessasingledocumen-
tarytextfromthesearchives.Thebulkofsuchanarchive—inwhich,asthe
extractgivenimplies,theindividualentrieswerewrittenupinremarkable
detail—musthavebeenveryconsiderable.Thedocumentalsoconfrontsus
withmajorunansweredquestionsastothenatureofarchivesonperishable
materials, their organisation, location, form of storage, and (?) transport-
.G.E.M.deSteCroix,‘‘‘Suffragium’:FromVotetoPatronage,’’British Journal of Soci-
ology():.