The Augustan Revolution
GermanicusCaesarinthetheatresduringtheludiAugustales(ll.–);when
thetempleofDivusAugustuswasfinished,thesechairswouldbekeptthere,
andinthemeantimeinthatofMarsUltor.Theprovisionsalsoincludespe-
cificarrangements(ll.–)fortheday(i.e.,theexpecteddayin..)
when the bones, or rather the ashes, of Germanicus would be interred in
thetumulus;thatdone,themagistriofthesodales Augustalesweresubsequently
tomakeofferings(inferiae)thereontheanniversaryof hisdeatheachyear.
ThebuildingdescribedastumulusisofcoursewhatwecalltheMausoleum
ofAugustus.Thereferencestoinferiaeofferedtotheshade(manes)ofGer-
manicus(astothoseofGaiusandLucius)whichappearinthefragmentary
openinglinesoffragmentb,columnoftheTabulaSiarensisaretomark
thissameanniversary;itfollowsthattheMausoleumwillthushavebeende-
scribed,inthemissinglines,simplyastumulus,andnotastumulus Germanici
Caesaris.
Theuseofalaw,in.. as in.., and almost certainly in..
forDrusus,tovalidatehonoursfordeceasedmembersoftheimperialhouse,
of course mirrors the similar use of laws to grant powers and honours to
themduringtheirlives.Itisnotnecessarytomultiplyexamplesofthis:the
Res GestaeitselfrecordsthelawsbywhichAugustusreceivedthetribunician
powerforlifein..(,),orbywhichtheconsulshipinadvancewas
decreedforGaiusandLucius(,).Otherevidenceshows,forinstance,that
itwasbyalawthatTiberiushadreceivedageneralimperiumintheprovinces
in...^8
Onsuchoccasions,aswithposthumoushonours,evenwhenalawwasin
factpassedbythepeople,thisfactmaynotalwaysbespecificallyrecordedby
ournarrativesource.Nolawismentioned,forinstance,whenTacitusbriefly
alludestoTiberius’request,evidentlyaddressedtotheSenate,forprocon-
sularimperiumforGermanicusin..(Ann.,).Buttheprecedents,that
istosay,thatofthepreviousyearandthatoftheimperiumvotedforAgrippa
(P.Col.inv.,no.P.Köln),showthatitisalmostcertainthatsucha
lawwasinfactsubsequentlypassed.Moreover,sincewenowknowfromthe
TabulaSiarensisthatTacitusignoredthepassingofsuchalawearlyin..,
wecanbereasonablycertainthathedidsoalsoinrelationtotheposthumous
honoursofDrusus,thesonofTiberius,in..(Ann.,).AsOliverand
Palmersuggested,^9 itisthehonourswhichwerethenvotedtoDrususwhich
appearintheTabulaIlicitana;theTabulaSiarensisnowstronglysuggeststhat
thisfragmentarytextalsoisthatofalaw.
. Velleius,,;Suetonius,Tib..
. J.H.OliverandR.E.A.Palmer,‘‘TheTextoftheTabulaHebana,’’AJPh():
,onpp.–.