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

200 The Imperial Government

himself, and left behind on his death, to be inscribed on two bronze tab-
letswhichflankedtheentrancetohismassiveMausoleumontheCampus
MartiusinRome(chap.35):

TometherewereoftensentembassiesfromkingsinIndia,neverpre-

viouslywitnessedbeforeanydux[general]oftheRomans.TheBastar-

naeandtheScythianssoughtouramicitia[friendship]byembassies,as

didkingsoftheSarmataelivingonthissideandtheothersideofthe

riverTanais[theDon],andthekingoftheAlbani,theHiberi,andthe

Medes.TometherefledsuppliantkingsoftheParthians...[andother

peoples].TomethekingoftheParthians,Phraates,sonofOrodes,sent

allhissonsandgrandsonstoItalyashostages,notafterdefeatinwar

butseekingouramicitiabytheuseof hischildrenaspledges.Several

othergentestried the faith [fides]ofthepopulus Romanuswhile I was

princeps,whohadneverpreviouslyhadanyexchangeofembassiesand

amicitiawiththepopulus Romanus.

Contemporaryevidence confirms that such embassies did reach Augustus,
frombothWestandEast.
ThegeographerStrabodescribeshowBritishkingshadgainedthefriend-
shipofAugustusbysendingembassies,andpayingcourt,andhadmadeoffer-
ingsontheCapitolinRome(Geography4,5,3,200).Thelatterpointagain
illustratestheambiguityofsovereigntyintheearlyEmpire,forbyalong-
establishedtraditionoftheRepublic,whichpersistedintotheEmpire,for-
eignpeoplesandrulerssymbolisedtheiracceptanceofRomanhegemonyby
offeringsacrificesormakingpermanentdedicationsontheCapitol,there-
foreinorneartheancienttempleofJupiterOptimusMaximus;itwasthere
toothatcopiesoftreatieshadlongbeendeposited.^9 Thatsameambiguityap-
pearsintheinscriptionfromApameainSyriarecordingalocaldynastfrom
thisregioninthetimeofAugustus,calledDexandros,‘‘[who]bythedecree
ofthedeifiedAugustus,becauseofhisfriendshipandloyaltytotheRoman
People,wasinscribedasfriendandallyonbronzetabletsontheCapitol.’’^10
Butthisinscriptionintroducesyetanotherformofambiguitytowhichwe
shallreturn.
As regards embassies from far beyond the Empire, to the East,our best
evidencecomesagainfromStrabo,whoquotestheaccountofanIndianem-
bassyonitswaytomeetAugustusgivenbyanothercontemporary,Nicolaus
ofDamascus(Strabo,Geography15,1,73,719):

9. R.Mellor,‘‘TheDedicationsontheCapitolineHill,’’Chiron8(1978):319–30.
   10.Année Épigraphique1976,no.678.