Rome, the Greek World, and the East, Vol. 2 - Government, Society, and Culture in the Roman Empire

Emperors, Frontiers, and Foreign Relations 177

ambassadorswhohadsurvivedthejourneywerecarryingaletterinGreek
inwhichPorosdescribedhimselfaskingover600otherkingsandoffered
anycollaborationwhichAugustusrequired:withthelettercamegifts,borne
byeight slaves, naked except for scented loincloths, namely, a freak, some
largesnakes,aserpenttencubitsinlength,aturtlethreecubitslong,anda
partridgelargerthanavulture.^79 ThisembassyinfactreachedAugustusin
Samosinthewinterof20/19b.c.;^80 andithadbeentherealso,intheprevious
winter, that an Ethiopian embassy had appeared before him.The circum-
stances, again described by Strabo, are of considerable significance.When
in24–22b.c.EthiopianforcesattackedthefortofPrimis(QaşrIbrîm),the
prefect of Egypt, Petronius, reinforced it in time, and when an Ethiopian
embassyarrivedtoldthemtogotoAugustus:^81

WhentheysaidthattheydidnotknowwhoCaesarwasorhowthey

weretoreachhim,heprovidedthemwithanescort.Theytravelledto

SamoswhereCaesarwas,asheintendedtogoontoSyriaandtosend

TiberiusintoArmenia.Theygainedeverythingforwhichtheyasked,

andhereleasedthemalsofromthetributeswhichhehadimposed.

ThediplomaticandmilitaryroleintheEastdelegatedbyAugustustoTibe-
riusinpersonwasinfacthighlysignificantforthefuture.Nonetheless,itis
conceivablethatiftheEmpirecouldhaveachievedoverallthesecuredomi-
nancemomentarilydemonstratedonboththeeasternandNubianfrontsin
thelate20sb.c.,itsfrontieranddiplomaticpolicymightindeedhavebeen
directed from Rome or wherever in the Mediterranean the emperor hap-
penedtobe.Suchastateofaffairswasalmostsecuredinthemiddleofthe
secondcentury,whenAppiangiveshiseye-witnessreportoftheconductof
diplomacybyAntoninusPius:^82

Theemperors,inadditiontotheoriginalprovinces,haveaddedsome

furtherareastotheirruleandhavesuppressedsomewhichbrokeaway.

Ingeneral,possessingbygoodgovernmentthemostimportantparts

of land and sea, they prefer to preserve theirempire rather than ex-

tenditindefinitelytopoorandprofitlessbarbarianpeoples.Ihaveseen

embassiesfromsomeoftheseinRomeofferingthemselvesassubjects,

and the Emperor refusing them,on the grounds that they would be

ofnousetohim.Forotherpeoples,limitlessinnumber,theemperors

79.Geog.15,1,73(719)Jacoby,FGrH90,F.100.

80.Dio54,9,8–10.

81.Geog.17,1,54(820–21);cf.JRS69(1979):127.

82. Appian,Praef.7/25–28.