Imperial Ideology in the Tabula Siarensis Hereagainwehaveadirectexpression,reflectingthewordsofTiberius
himself,oftheexplicitcontinuationofAugustanideology:theachievements
of Germanicus, like those of thesummi viricommemorated in the Forum
Augustum,weretoserveasamodelforposterity.Buttheremayalsobea
more specific connection; if this is so,we have a casewhere the new text
casts light back on the propaganda,or rather retrospective propaganda,of
Augustushimself.
WhatreadershiphadAugustushadinmindincomposinghisRes Gestae?
Wasnotthistextalso,setupoutsidehisMausoleum,intentedtoofferamodel
ofconductforfuturegenerations?Lookingatthisquestionafewyearsago
inhischapterinthevolumeCaesar Augustus,^12 ZviYavetzconsideredvari-
ouspossibilities,andthensuggestedthatitwasreallydirectedtotheiuven-
tusofRomeandItaly.LikeSymeintheRoman Revolution,hewasofcourse
thinkingofthepre-wardictatorships,ofHitlerandtheHitlerjugend.Various
reviewersofthebookfounddifficultyinacceptingthissuggestion;^13 indeed
it could at that moment have been no more than a suggestion, even a jeu
d’espirit,withnoconcretebasisinevidence.Butfortunesometimesfavours
thosewhohavethecouragetospeculate,andwhodosowithafeelingforthe
natureofasocietyinthepast.TheTabulaSiarensishadalreadybeendiscov-
eredwhenYavetzspokeatthecolloquiumtohonourtheeightiethbirthday
ofSirRonaldSymein;thebookofessaysonCaesarAugustusandthe
textoftheTabulawerepublishedalmostsimultaneouslyin.^14 TheTabula
thusprovidespreciselytheexplicitconfirmationwhichhadpreviouslybeen
lacking:itprovesthatitwaspossible,withinthepoliticalcultureoftheearly
imperial state, to express the idea that a record of individual achievement
mightindeedbeconceivedofasamodelofferedtotheiuventusofthenext
and succeeding generations. Not the least of the many benefits of this ex-
traordinarytext,forwhichweoweadebtofgratitudetoJuliánGonzález,
isthatitmakesuslookagainatthereignofAugustus.
. Z.Yavetz,‘‘TheResGestaeandAugustus’PublicImage,’’inF.MillarandE.Segal,
eds.,Caesar Augustus: Seven Aspects(),,onpp.–.
. E.g.,T.P.Wiseman,TLS,August,,;J.J.Paterson,G&R():–;
A.Wallace-Hadrill,JRS():–.
. J.GonzálezandF.Fernández,‘‘TabulaSiarensis,’’Iura(,app.):;J.Gon-
zález,‘‘TabulaSiarensisFortunalesSiarensesetMunicipiaCiviumRomanorum,’’ZPE
():.Cf.alsoJ.Arce,‘‘Tabula Siarensis;primeroscomentarios(I),’’Arch.esp.dearqu.
():;J.González,‘‘Addendaetcorrigenda,’’ZPE():.SeenowAE,.