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

 

The Roman City-State

under the Emperors, ..–..

*

This chapter must begin with a confession. I have always felt unsure as to
howweshouldapproachthecentralnarrativeofeventsinRomeinthefirst
centuryandahalfofimperialrule.Whosehistoryshouldwebeattempting
towrite? That of the successive emperors? Of the Senate in its new situa-
tion? Of the population of Rome? Of thewider bodyof Roman citizens?
OrofallthepeopleswhomRomeruledorhadcontactwith?Inparticular,
IfindTacitus’Annalesprofoundlyunsatisfying.Forastart,wemustaskwhy
hemadethedeliberatechoicetocalltheworkAnnales,ashedoes:‘‘Butlet
noonecompareourAnnaleswiththewritingofthosewhorecountedthe
ancientdeedsoftheRomanpeople.’’^1 Wewillcomebacktothiscomparison
later,fortheframeofreferencewhichisimpliedisfundamentaltothehis-
toricalwritingoftheearlyEmpire.Butitwasalsoadeliberatechoice,asis
impliedbythetitleAnnales,tostructuretheworkbyyears,andtointroduce
atthebeginningofeachyearthenamesoftheannualpairofconsules ordinarii
(by whom theyear was dated). As regards the historyof what we call the
Republic,therehadbeenagoodreasonforthis:foritwasthetwoconsuls,

*FirstpublishedinF.Muecke,ed.,Sidere mens eadem mutato: TheTodd Memorial Lectures,
–,PrudentiaSupp.(),–.IamverygratefultotheUniversityofSydney
forthehonourofbeinginvitedtogivethispaperastheToddMemorialLecture,delivered
onNovember,andtoPrincetonUniversity,whereitwasgivenastheMagieLec-
tureonMarch.Itrepresentsthetextofthelectureasgiven,withtheadditionofa
fewfootnotescontainingessentialreferences.Thereisamassoffurtherevidence,oldand
new,relatingtotheres publicaofthefirstcentury..,andIhopetoreturntothetopicin
moredetailelsewhere.

.Ann.,,:‘‘sednemoannalesnostroscumscripturaeorumcontenderit,quiveteres
populiRomanirescomposuere.’’

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