CHAPTER 30
Roman Elite Ethnicity
Parshia Lee-Stecum
An Elite Discourse
In 47 or 48CE,the emperor Claudius spoke to the Senate in support of extending the
right to run for Roman political office, and thus entry to the Senate, to the local elites
of the province of Gallia Comata. The speech survives in part on a bronze tablet found
at Lyons, Roman Lugdunum, in the province of Gallia Lugdunensis (CIL XIII, 1688),
and is also reported by Tacitus atAnnals11.23–24. Addressed to the leading members
of the Roman elite, the surviving portion of Claudius’ speech begins with a brief and
selective outline of Roman political power from the time of the founder to the beginning
of the republic:
At one time kings ruled the city, although they did not hand it down to successors from
their own families. People from other families, even foreigners, succeeded. So Numa, who
was Sabine, succeeded Romulus. Numa was a neighbour, but at that time still a foreigner.
Likewise, Tarquinius Priscus succeeded Ancus Marcius. Because of impure blood (his
father, Demaratus, was a Corinthian, and his mother was from a noble but poor family of
Tarquinii)...Tarquinius was excluded from holding office in his home city, and so migrated
to Rome and became king. Between Tarquinius and either his son or his grandson (for
the authorities differ) came Servius Tullius. If we accept Roman sources, Servius’ mother
was a captive slave, Ocresia. If we accept Etruscan sources, he was at one time the faithful
companion of Caelius Vivenna.... Taking the name Servius Tullius (his Etruscan name
was Mastarna), he became king to the great advantage of the Roman state. Then, after the
conduct of Tarquinius Superbus came to be hated by the citizens...the administration of
the Roman state was transferred to consuls, who were annual magistrates.(CIL XIII, 1688
col.1)A Companion to Ethnicity in the Ancient Mediterranean, First Edition. Edited by Jeremy McInerney.
© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.