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

Emperors, Kings, and Subjects 231

The second quotation comes from Suetonius’Life of Augustus, and still
looksatthekingsfromthepointofviewof Rome:^6 ‘‘Asregardstheking-
doms of which he [Augustus] gained control by right of war, he returned
them,apartfromafew,tothesamekingsfromwhomhehadtakenthem,
ortoexternalones....Nordidhetreatanyofthem[thekings]otherthan
asmembersandpartsoftheEmpire.’’ItisthusassumedbySuetonius,asit
hadbeenbyStrabo,thatfromthemomentofActiumonwardsthedispo-
sition of the title of king was in the hands of the emperor. It is this same
assumption which lies behind my third quotation,which comes from the
GospelofLuke:^7 ‘‘Acertainnoblemanjourneyedtoadistantcountrytoget
himselfakingdom[basileia],andreturn....Buthisfellowcitizens[politai]
hatedhim,andsentanembassyafterhim,saying‘Wedonotwishthisman
tobekingoverus.’’’Althoughnonamesareused,andnocontextisgiven,
the reference is unmistakable. It is to Archelaus, the son of Herod, going
toRomeafterhisfather’sdeath,andtotheembassyfromtheJewishpeople
whichfollowedhim,todemand(unsuccessfullyatthismoment)theending
ofHerodianrule,andtheattachmentofJudaeatoprovincialterritory.^8
This parable reflects an awareness not onlyof the powerof decision on
thepartofthedistantemperorbutoftherelationoftheHerodiandynasty
tothepeoplewhomitruled.Orrather,inthiscase,differentpeoples.For
infactitwasnotonlyaJewishdelegationwhichfollowedArchelaus—one
which Josephus describes as made up of fifty men, sent ‘‘with the consent
of the nation’’^9 —but also, as we know from Nicolaus, separate embassies
fromtheGreekcities.^10 ThesetoowereseekingexclusionfromtheHerodian
kingdom,justasrepresentativesofGadarahaddone,unsuccessfully,before
Augustussixteenyearsbefore.^11 TwooftheseGreekcities,GazaandHippos,
werenow,afterHerod’sdeath,successfulinseparatingthemselvesfromthe
kingdom,andwereattachedtotheprovinceofSyria.^12 Thesubjectsofade-
pendentkingcouldenvisageanalternativepoliticalsituation,andknewhow
toseekit.

6. Suetonius,Div. Aug.48.


7. Luke19:12–14.


8. SeeE.Schürer,History of the Jewish PeopleI,ed.G.VermesandF.Millar(1973),330–
   35.Forapowerfulargumentforareviseddatingofthelastphaseof Herod’slife(winter
   4/3b.c.ratherthan5/4b.c.),seeA.Kushnir-Stein,‘‘AnotherLookatJosephus’sEvidence
   fortheDateofHerod’sDeath,’’SCI14(1995):73–86.


9. Josephus,Ant.17,11,1(300).


10. Nic.Dam.,FGrH90,F.131.


11. Josephus,Ant.15,2,3(354–59).


12. SeeF.Millar,The Roman Near East(1993),41–43.