Emperors, Frontiers, and Foreign Relations 177
ambassadorswhohadsurvivedthejourneywerecarryingaletterinGreek
inwhichPorosdescribedhimselfaskingover600otherkingsandoffered
anycollaborationwhichAugustusrequired:withthelettercamegifts,borne
byeight slaves, naked except for scented loincloths, namely, a freak, some
largesnakes,aserpenttencubitsinlength,aturtlethreecubitslong,anda
partridgelargerthanavulture.^79 ThisembassyinfactreachedAugustusin
Samosinthewinterof20/19b.c.;^80 andithadbeentherealso,intheprevious
winter, that an Ethiopian embassy had appeared before him.The circum-
stances, again described by Strabo, are of considerable significance.When
in24–22b.c.EthiopianforcesattackedthefortofPrimis(QaşrIbrîm),the
prefect of Egypt, Petronius, reinforced it in time, and when an Ethiopian
embassyarrivedtoldthemtogotoAugustus:^81
WhentheysaidthattheydidnotknowwhoCaesarwasorhowthey
weretoreachhim,heprovidedthemwithanescort.Theytravelledto
SamoswhereCaesarwas,asheintendedtogoontoSyriaandtosend
TiberiusintoArmenia.Theygainedeverythingforwhichtheyasked,
andhereleasedthemalsofromthetributeswhichhehadimposed.
ThediplomaticandmilitaryroleintheEastdelegatedbyAugustustoTibe-
riusinpersonwasinfacthighlysignificantforthefuture.Nonetheless,itis
conceivablethatiftheEmpirecouldhaveachievedoverallthesecuredomi-
nancemomentarilydemonstratedonboththeeasternandNubianfrontsin
thelate20sb.c.,itsfrontieranddiplomaticpolicymightindeedhavebeen
directed from Rome or wherever in the Mediterranean the emperor hap-
penedtobe.Suchastateofaffairswasalmostsecuredinthemiddleofthe
secondcentury,whenAppiangiveshiseye-witnessreportoftheconductof
diplomacybyAntoninusPius:^82
Theemperors,inadditiontotheoriginalprovinces,haveaddedsome
furtherareastotheirruleandhavesuppressedsomewhichbrokeaway.
Ingeneral,possessingbygoodgovernmentthemostimportantparts
of land and sea, they prefer to preserve theirempire rather than ex-
tenditindefinitelytopoorandprofitlessbarbarianpeoples.Ihaveseen
embassiesfromsomeoftheseinRomeofferingthemselvesassubjects,
and the Emperor refusing them,on the grounds that they would be
ofnousetohim.Forotherpeoples,limitlessinnumber,theemperors
79.Geog.15,1,73(719)Jacoby,FGrH90,F.100.
80.Dio54,9,8–10.
81.Geog.17,1,54(820–21);cf.JRS69(1979):127.
- Appian,Praef.7/25–28.