Rome, the Greek World, and the East, Vol. 1 - The Roman Republic and the Augustan Revolution

Popular Politics at Rome 

(Lucullus)intodisrepute.^42 Thepurposewasclearlytoarousepopularsuspi-
cionofprofiteeringandluxuriousprivatelife-styles.‘‘TheRomanpeople,’’
as Cicero recalled, defending Murena in , ‘‘hates private luxury, and de-
lightsinpublicmagnificence.’’^43 Visualmessages,aswellasverbalones,had
theirplaceinpopularpolitics.
Withthemids,wehaveofcoursereturnedtotheperiodfromwhichI
started:theperiodoftheclearingofthepiratesfromtheMediterranean,and
ofthegreatconquestsbyLucullusandPompey,soontobefollowedbythose
ofCaesar,whentheEmpirewasindeedexpanded,asthelawofproudly
stated.Ihaveemphasisedabovealltwothings.Intheshortterm,inthes
and s, therewas the essential role of laws passed by the people in estab-
lishingthemajorcommandswhichmadetheconquestspossible.Thelaws
alreadymentionedwerefollowedbythoseofwhichgavePisotheprov-
inceof Macedonia,andGabiniusfirstCiliciaandthenSyria;andthenthe
lawsofwhichgavePompeySpainandCrassusSyria,eachforfiveyears,
andanotherwhichprolongedCaesar’scommandinGaul.
Thesecondessentialpointistheextenttowhichallthisledtobenefits
whichthemselvesreflectedthefactofthesovereigntyoftheRomanpeople.
Suppose,asIsuggestedearlier,thatweaskhowthewholestorywouldlook
ifwesawitfromtheperspectiveofthepeopleofRome.Themostobvious
exampleisthefactthatafreecornrationwasestablishedbyalawpassedby
Clodiusin;thisrighttofreecornwastolastlateintotheEmpire.Then
there were laws to use the resources of the state to acquire land for indi-
viduals.The law proposed by Rullus on entering the tribunate in Decem-
beraimedtoraisefundsbysellingpublicassetsintheprovinces,andto
usethesefundsforbuyingprivatelandonwhichindividualcitizenscouldbe
settled.ThetextofRullus’lawwasputupinpublic,whereinterestedparties
couldcopyit;andRullusexplainedhisproposalstothepeopleinaspeech
which,Cicerosays,wassolongandsocomplicatedthatnooneunderstood
it.^44 Wedonotknowwhetherthebillwasrejected,orwasneverfinallyput
to the vote; only that it did not become law. Nor do we know why; we
onlyknowCicero’spublicspeechagainstit,hissecondorationDe lege agra-
ria, using, among others, the arguments that the proposal was in reality a
devicetogatherpowerintoafewirresponsiblehands.Butthesameissuere-
turnedinwiththebillaboutlanddistributionproposedbyFlavius,when

. Cic.,Sest..

. Cic.,Mur..

. Cic.,De leg. ag.,–.