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

Government and Diplomacy 203

roundtheshoresoftheMediterraneanwhileremainingallthetimeeitherin
ItalyorprovincespayingtributetoRome.Andnotuntilthesecondcentury
didtheEmpireacquireastrategicshapeandcharactersuchthatitsdefence
neednotdependtoanysignificantdegreeon‘‘client’’kingdoms.^13
IfourconcerniswiththenatureoftheEmpireasadiplomaticsystem,
however,themerefactoftheextensionofprovincialisationwillnotremove
—indeed,ratheraccentuates—theambiguitieswithwhichwearefaced.For
quiteapartfromthoseunsubduedtribalpeopleswhoremainedwithinthe
bounds of the Empire, many provinces, especially in the Greek East, con-
tained‘‘free’’citieswhichgovernorswerenotsupposedtovisit,andwhich
layoutsidetheirjurisdiction.Oneofthese,AphrodisiasinCaria,tookthe
precautionearlyinthethirdcenturyofinscribingonthewallofitstheatre
a long series of imperial letters confirming its privileged status.The pub-
lication of this archive in 1982 provided a rich store of illustration of the
diplomaticpracticesgoverningexchangesbetweensuchacityandtheem-
peror.^14 Inparticular,whenanewemperorcametothethrone,thecitycoun-
cilwouldpassadecreeexpressingthecity’sjoyathisaccession,andambassa-
dorswouldbesentwhowouldhandoverthedecree,accompanyingitwith
abriefspeech,heardbytheemperorinperson.Hethenaddressedtothecity
aletterinGreek,whichwasbroughtbacktotheirhomelandbytheambas-
sadors.Thecustomcontinuedatleastuntilthemiddleofthethirdcentury.
ThelatestdocumentaddedtothearchivewallatAphrodisiasisareplyfrom
theEmperorDeciusandhissonHerennius,datedtoa.d.250(no.25,trans.
Reynolds):

Imperator Caesar C. Messius Q.Traianus Decius, Pius, Felix, Augus-

tus,holdingtribunicianpowerforthethirdtime,consulforthesecond

time, designated for the third, father of his country, proconsul, and

Q.HerenniusEtruscusMessiusDecius,PontifexMaximus,holdingthe

tribunician power for the first time, consul designate, to the Magis-

trates,CouncilandPeopleoftheAphrodisians,greetings.Itwastobe

expected, both because of the goddess for whom yourcity is named

andbecauseofyourrelationshipwiththeRomansandloyaltytothem,

that you rejoiced at the establishment of our kingship and made the

proper sacrifice and prayers.We preserve your existing freedom and

alltheotherrightswhichyouhavereceivedfromtheemperorswho

13. For this theme, note the very stimulating analysis by E. N. Luttwak,The Grand
    Strategy of the Roman Empire from the First Centurya.d.to the Third(Baltimore and Lon-
    don,1976).


14. J.Reynolds,Aphrodisias and Rome(London,1982).