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

Trajan 35

perorbeforeleaving(whetherthiscodewashandedoverinperson,orwas
sent in the mannerof a letter, seems uncertain). But once he had set out,
andwhilehewasinhisprovince,hecouldonlyreceivefurtherinstructions,
sendinformation,orraiseproblemsthroughthemediumof letterscarried
by messengers,who might take several weeks in eitherdirection (what, if
any,escortamessengerhad,andwhathappenedifhedied,deserted,orwas
killed by bandits is entirelyobscure).We also need to recall that a gover-
norwassystematically,bythenatureofhisoffice,onthemovebetweenthe
majorcitiesofhisprovince.^36 TheEmperor,forhispart,mightbeabsenton
campaign,ormightforextendedperiodsberesidentinRome.Bothparties,
therefore,werepotentiallymovingtargets,whomthemessengermighthave
tofind,attheendofajourneywhoselengthmightbequiteindeterminate.
Pliny’scorrespondencewithTrajanfromPontusandBithyniaofcourse
representsourbestevidenceforexchangesbetweenagovernorandanem-
peror.Butonecentralpurposeofthischapteristoputthatcorrespondence
inthecontextoftheimportantparallelevidencefromTrajan’sreign,mainly
fromlegalsources.
Some of the evidence, however, in fact comes from Pliny himself, and
some from inscriptions.Thus Pliny records two cases in which he partici-
patedinTrajan’scouncil(consilium),bothofwhichwerepromptedbyletters
written to the Emperor by provincial governors: in the one the governor
haddetectedoneof hiscompanions(comites)inmanyimproprieties(flagi-
tia) and ‘‘wrote to Caesar.’’^37 In the other, the issue concerned thewife of
amilitarytribuneofsenatorialstatus,whohadcommittedadulterywitha
centurion.Thehusbandwrotetotheconsulargovernor(legatus consularis)of
theprovince,andhethenwrotetoCaesar.^38 Bothcaseswillhavebeenheard
nearthebeginningoftheonlyextendedperiodwhichTrajanspentinRome
asEmperor,from107to113.
Bycontrast,thecasebetweentheDelphiansandtheAmbrossians,which
washeardbyAvidiusNigrinusas(probably)alegatusinAchaea,seemstobe-
longtotheveryendofthereign,whenTrajanwasengagedontheParthian
war.Trajanhadatsomeearlierpointheardtheissuehimself(‘‘cognoscens’’),
andhadinstructed(‘‘iussit’’)Nigrinustodeterminethedisputeoverbound-
ariesinperson,onthesite.^39 NeitherthesequenceofeventsprecedingNigri-

36. Forthebestdiscussion,seestillG.P.Burton,‘‘Proconsuls,AssizesandtheAdmin-
    istrationofJusticeundertheEmpire,’’JRS65(1975):92–106.


37. Plin.,epist.6.22.2:‘‘Caesariscripsit.’’Thereferencetowrongdoingonthepartof‘‘his
    companion’’(comes suus)makesitsafetoassumethatthewriterwasaprovincialgovernor.
    38.Epist.6,31,4–6.
    39.Fouilles de DelphesIII.4,no.292.