The Augustan Revolution
publicprovinces,belongedinprincipletotheRomanpeople,anditwastoits
imperiumorpotestasthattheEmperorormembersofhisfamilywereseenas
makingnewlyacquiredareassubject:‘‘IaddedEgypttotheimperiumofthe
Roman people’’ (RG,);‘‘Egypthavingbecomesubjecttothepowerof
theRomanpeople’’(AegyptoinpotestatempopuliRomaniredacta,ILS);‘‘Tibe-
riusCaesar...madeCappadociatributarytotheRomanpeople’’(Vell.Pat.
,,).BothareasweretobegovernednotevenbysenatorsbutbyEquites
appointedbytheEmperor.InthesamewayGaiusCaesarwasconceivedof
afterhisdeathashavingbeenconductingacampaign‘‘beyondthefurthest
territoriesoftheRomanpeople’’(ILS,ll.–).
Furthermore,oneoftheimportantrevelationsoftheTabulaSiarensisis
that in.. an armycommanded bya legate of Augustus in one of the
provincesofCaesarwasalsoconceivedofasanarmyoftheRomanpeople.
ForthetextrefersbacktothedisasterunderQuinctiliusVarusin..,and
toGermanicus’supposedrevengeforthatdefeat,injusttheseterms(Fr.I,
ll. –): ‘‘the military standards having been retrieved and the treacher-
ousdefeatoftheRomanpeopleavenged’’(receptisque signis militaribus et vindi-
cata frau[dulenta clade] exercitus p(opuli)R(omani)).Therewasthereforeaclear,
widersenseinwhichtheformalsovereigntyinthewholeRomanempirelay
notyetwiththeEmperorhimselfbutwiththeRomanpeople.
Itiswiththeseconsiderationsinmindthatweoughttolookagainatthe
evidencewehaveforthenatureofthedivisionoftheprovincesin..
and for subsequent transferrals of provinces from one system to the other.
Ourearliestandmostexplicitdescription,andtheonlyoneprovidedbya
contemporary,isthatgivenbyStrabointheconcludingchapterofhisGeog-
raphy.Hisconceptionofthenatureofthedivisionisquiteunambiguous:‘‘he
[Augustus]dividedtheentireterritory[oftheempire]intwo,andassigned
onehalftohimself,andtheothertothepeople’’(Geog.).Hecontinues
byexplainingthatthemorepeacefulprovinceswereassignedtothepeople
(toi demoi,again);thetwohalvesoftheEmpireweresubdividedintosepa-
rate provinces, ‘‘of which some are called [provinces] of Caesarand others
[provinces]ofthepeople.’’TherestofwhatStrabosaysconcernsthemethod
ofappointmenttothetwotypesofprovince,andthereisnoallusiontothe
Senate.TheEmperorappointsthegovernorsofhisprovinces,whileitisthe
peoplewhich sends (pempei) praetors orconsuls to its part. Strictly speak-
duringtheFirstThreeCenturies,’’Int. Hist. Rev.():,.TheTabulaSiarensisis
reprinted,butwithoutdivisionintolines,asAE,.Notealsotheveryhelpfultrans-
lationofthecombinedtextinR.K.Sherk,The Roman Empire: Augustus to Hadrian(),
no..SeenowM.Crawford,ed.,Roman StatutesI(),no./.