A History of Rome Through the Fifth Century

Volume II: The Empire

A volume

THE DOCUMENTARY HISTORY of

WESTERN CIVILIZATION

A HISTORY OF ROME THROUGH THE FIFTH CENTURY

VOLUME II: The Empire

edited by A. H. M. }ONES

PALGRAVE MACMILLAN

1970

A HISTORY OF ROME THROUGH THE FIFTH CENTURY: VOLUME II: THE EMPIRE

Introduction, editorial notes, chronological table, bibliography, and translations by the editor,

Copyright © 1970 by A. H. M. Jones

Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1970

First published in the United States 1970 First published in the United Kingdom by

Macmillan and Co 1970

Published by MACMILLAN AND co LTD

Little Essex Street London wc2 and also at Bombay Calcutta and Madras

Macmillan South Africa (Publishers) Pty Ltd Johannesburg The Macmillan Company of Australia Pty Ltd Melbourne

Gill and Macmillan Ltd Dublin

ISBN 978-1-349-00493-5 ISBN 978-1-349-00491-1 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-00491-1

Contents

Acknowledgments Chronological Table Introduction Map of the Roman Empire in the Second Century A.D.

I,

1.

3· 4· 5· 6. 7· 8. 9·

IO.

II.

I1.

13·

14· IS· I6. I7. 18. I9· 10.

1I.

11. 13. 14. 1S· 16. 17. 18. 19.

I. THE FOUNDATION OF THE PRINCIPATE

The acts of the deified Augustus The restoration of the republic in 17 B.c. The division of the provinces in 17 B.c. The constitution of the principate The settlement of 13 B.c. Troubles following the settlement of 13 B.c. The settlement of 19 B.c. The lex de imperio The oath of allegiance Augustus' reforms The speech of Maecenas

II. THE EMPERORS

The accession of Tiberius Claudius as a young man The accession of Claudius Galba's adoption of Piso Diocletian Julian's accession The death of Julian Valentinian I The usurpation of Silvanus

III. THE SENATORIAL ORDER

The senate in the early principate Senators from the provinces Claudius' speech on the Gallic senators A recommendation for admission to the senate The prefect of the city Poppaeus Sabinus Plautius Silvanus Pedanius Secundus Agricola

xii xiii

3 Il-13

II

14 1S 16 35 37 40 41 43 44 49

70

77 78 So 81 84 89 9S

100

108 109 III

II4 us 116 II7 118 IlO

viii 30. 31· 32· 33· 34·

35· 36. 37· 38. 39· 40. 41. 42.

Pliny Tertullus Hadrian Salvius Julianus The senate in the fourth century

IV. THE EQUESTRIAN ORDER

The financial qualification for equestrian status The judicial powers of procurators A recommendation for promotion A recommendation for appointment An imperial letter of appointment Baebius Atticus Julius Possessor Bassaeus Rufus

V. THE CIVIL SERVICE

CONTENTS

115 116 116 127 127

43· An imperial freedman of Augustus 141

44· An imperial slave of Tiberius 142

45· A recommendation for promotion for an imperial freedman 142

46. A recommendation for promotion for an imperial slave 142

47· A military clerk 143

48. Hereditary civil servants 143

49· The perquisites of civil servants 144

50. The imperial couriers 145

p. The number of officials 146

sz. Salaries of officials 146

VI. THE ARMY

53· The distribution of the forces 148

54· The draft under the principate 150

55· A letter from an Egyptian recruit 151

s6. A letter from an Egyptian soldier 15f

57· The pay sheets of two legionaries in Egypt 152

s8. Hadrian reviews the troops in Numidia 153

59· Soldiers' marriages 155

6o. The use of troops as police 157

61. Discharge of legionary veterans 158

62. The discharge certificate of a praetorian 158

63. The discharge certificate of a sailor 159

64. The discharge certificate of a foreign cavalryman 160

6s. A colony of veterans at Deultum 161

66. A colony of veterans at Cyrene 162

67. A mutiny 162

68. Constantine's mobile army 167

CONTENTS lX

69. The draft in the fourth century 168 70. Hereditary military service 170 7I. Rations 170 72. Commutation of rations 171 73- Commutation of recruits 171 74· Tax privileges of soldiers and veterans 172 75· Allotments for veterans 173 76. Federates 174

VII. THE PROVINCES

77- Spain under Augustus 178 78. Egypt under Augustus 179 79· The duties of a proconsul 179 8o. Agricola in Britain 183 8I. A proconsul's preparations 185 82. A corrector of free cities 186 83. A trial for corrupt administration 188 84. A trial for abuse of powers 192 85. The provincial house of representatives 196 86. Abuse of requisition 197 87. Road building in Arabia 198 88. Road building in Egypt 198 89. Purchase of office 199 90. A province petitions the emperor 200

VIII. THE CITIES

91. The Roman aqueducts 207 92. Rome in the fourth century 209 93· The charter of Malaca 212 94· The charter of Salpensa 219 95· A federate city 223 96. Claudius' letter to Alexandria 223 97· Vespasian's letter to Sabora 227 98. Titus' letter to Munigua 227 99· Domitian's letter to Falerio 228

100. Antoninus Pius' letter to Ephesus 229 101. Another letter from Pius to Ephesus 229 102. The election of a civil magistrate 230 103. Summons of a city council 232 104. Minutes of a city council 232 105. Duties of city councilors 235 106. The tariff of Palmyra 238 107. Admission fees of city councilors 240 108. Public buildings 241 109. Slave civil servants 243 110. A city fire brigade 244

X CONTENTS

I II. A civic school 145 Ill. A civic theater 147 113· A civic benefactor 148 114· The foundation of a city 150 115· Decurions and government posts 151 116. Decurions and the Roman senate 153 117. The defensor civitatis 154 n8. Civic finances in the fourth century 155

IX. TAXATION

119· The census in Syria 156 no. The census in Egypt 156 Ill. The census returns 157 Ill. An Egyptian census return 159 113. The poll tax 160 Il4· The land tax 161 115· Customs 161 n6. Fines and confiscations 161 117· Galerius' census 166 n8. Diocletian's indiction 167 119· The indiction under Julian 168 130· The indiction in the fifth century 169 Ip. The clothing levy 170 Ip. Commutation of taxes in kind 171 133· Liability to the collatio lustralis 171 134· The collection of the collatio lustralis 171

X. JUSTICE

135· The senate as a high court 173 136. The imperial high court under Trajan 175 137· The imperial high court under Marcus Aurelius 177 138. Civil cases at Rome 179 139· Jurisdiction in the provinces 180 140. A dispute between two cities 185

XI. STATUS

141. Claudius' edict on the Anauni 187 141· A Roman citizen's rights 188 143· Appeal to Caesar 189 144· A recommendation for the citizenship 189 145· The Constitutio Antoniniana 191

XII. ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

146. The Alimenta 193 147· A village of freeholders 194

CONTENTS XI

148. Tenants of imperial estates 196 149· Emphyteutic tenures of imperial estates 198 150. Imperial silver mines 199 151. A gold miner 3°5 1p. An imperial quarry 306 153· Price regulation 306 154. Diocletian's edict on prices 308 155· The origins of the colonate 31Z 156. The colonate in Palestine pz 157· The colonate in Thrace 313 158. Legal disabilities of the colonate 314 159·. Leases of state land 314 160. Miners in the fourth century 315 161. The state arms factories 316 16z. The state armorers 316 163. The mint workers 317

XIII. RELIGION

164. Divine honors for Augustus in Asia 318 165. Roman citizens and the imperial cult 3ZO 166. Letter of Tiberius to Gytheum 311 167. A new imperial temple in Asia 311 168. Nero's persecution of the Christians 313 169. Pliny and the Christians P4 170. A certificate of sacrifice under Decius 327 171. Valerian's persecution in Egypt 327 171. Valerian's persecution in Africa 330 173· Diocletian's persecution in Palestine 331 174· Diocletian's persecution in Africa 331 175• The Edict of Galerius 335 176. The Edict of Milan 336 177· Constantine's benefactions to the African church 339 178. Constantine's grant of immunity to the clergy 34° 179· Constantine's letter to Aelafius 340 180. Constantine's letter to Celsus 341 181. Constantine and the imperial cult 34Z 18z. Judicial powers of bishops 343 183. Constans forbids pagan worship 344 184. Theodosius I finally forbids paganism 345

Select Bibliography 346 Index 349

Acknowledgments

The translations of the Res Gestae Divi Augusti (No. I) and most of the papyri (Nos. 55-56, 59, 6I, 86, 96, 102-o4, 120, 126) are by kind permission of the Harvard University Press taken from the Loeb Classical Library. The versions of the Theodosian Code (Nos. 48-p, 69-75, 89, I I5-I8, IJ0-34, I 55, I59-63, I82-84) are by kind permission of Professor C. Pharr, taken from his The Theo­dosian Code and Novels, and the Sirmondian Constitutions (Princeton, I 9 52); I am particularly grateful to him for waiving any royalty payment. The translations of Tacitus, Annals (Nos. 12, 2 I-22, 25-26, 28, J6, 53· 67, 85, 125, I J5, I65, I67-68) are adapted from A. J. Church and W. J. Brodribb (London, I876), those of his Histories (No. I 5) from A. J. Church and W. J. Brodribb (London, I 876), those of his Agricola (Nos. 29, 8o) from the same translators' The Agricola and the Germania (Lon­don, I874). The translations of Suetonius (Nos. IO, IJ-I4) are adapted from Alexander Thomson, The Lives of the First Twelve Caesars (London, I796); those of Pliny's Letters (Nos. 24, 35, 37, 54, 6o, 82-84, 95, I07-I I, q6, I44, I69) from William Melmoth, The Letters of Pliny the Consul (London, I796). The versions of Cassius Dio (Nos. 4-7, I I) are adapted from H. B. Foster, Dio's Rome, a Historical Narrative Composed in Greek and Now Pre­sented in English (Troy, N.Y., I905); those of Eusebius (Nos. I7I, I7J, I75-78) from A. C. McGiffert and B. C. Richardson in The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, vol. I (London, I89o). The translations of Ammianus Marcellinus (Nos. I7-20, 34, 76, 90, 92, I29) are adapted from C. D. Yonge, The Roman History of Ammianus Marcellinus (London, I 862). The two passages from the Acts of the Apostles (Nos. I42-43) are adapted from the Revised Version.

I have myself translated the passages from V elleius Paterculus (No. 2), Strabo (Nos. 3, 77-78), Frontinus (No. 9I), Franta (Nos. 38, 45, 8I), Cyprian (No. I72), Lactantius (Nos. I6, I27), Optatus (Nos. I74• I79• I8o), Zosimus (No. 68), the Digest (Nos. 79, 105, I2I, IJ7), the Codex Justinianus (Nos. I56-58), a few papyri (Nos. 46, 57, I22, 128, IJ8, I45, I7o), and all the inscrip­tions except the Res Gestae (Nos. 8, 9, 23, 27, 30-33, 39-44,47, 58, 62-66, 87-88, 93-94, 97-IOI, 106, I I2-I4, I I9, I2J-24, IJ9-4I, I46-54, I64, I66, I8I).

Chronological Table

NoTE: It must be remembered that two or more emperors might reign simultaneously as colleagues, e.g. Lucius Verus was colleague of Marcus Aurelius during the first eight years of the latter's reign, and Commodus, son of Marcus, was his colleague during his father's last six years. This practice became normal in the later empire. The list includes the more important "usurpers," who are difficult to distinguish from "legitimate" emperors. The letter A denotes Augustus (full emperor), C, Caesar (subordinate emperor).

27 B.C.-A.D. 14 Augustus A.D. 14-37 Tiberi us 37-41 Caligula 41-54 Claudius 54-68 Nero 68-69 Galba 69 Otho 69 Vitelli us 69-79 Vespasian 79-81 Titus 81-96 Domitian 96-98 Nerva 98-117 Trajan 117-138 Hadrian q8-161 Antoninus Pius 161-1 So Marcus Aurelius 161-169 Lucius V erus 176-192 Commodus 193 Pertinax 193 Didius Julianus 193-211 Septimius Severus 193-197 Clodius Albinus 193-194 Pescennius Niger 198-217 Caracalla 209-212 Geta 217-218 Macrinus 218 Diadumenianus 218-222 Elegabalus 222-235 Severus Alexander

XIV CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE

235-238 Maximin us 238 Gordian I 238 Gordian II 238 Balbinus 238 Pupienus 238-244 Gordian III 244-249 Philip the Arab 249-251 Decius 251-253 Trebonianus Gallus 251-253 Volusianus 253 Aemilianus 253-260 Valerian 253-268 Gallienus 268-270 Claudius II Gothicus 270 Quintillus 270-275 Aurelian 275-276 Tacitus 276 Florian us 276-282 Probus 282-283 Carus 283-285 Carin us 283-284 Numerianus

WEST EAST

C. 285-86 Maximian A. 284-305 Diocletian A. 286-305, 307-IO

c. 293-305 Constantius I c. 293-305 Galerius A. 3o5-o6 A. 305-I I

C. 306-o8 Constantine c. 305-08 Maximin A. 3°8-37 A. 3o8-r3

A. 3o6-o7 Severus

A. 307-12 Maxentius A. 308-24 Licinius A. 308-II Alexander c. 317-23 Licinianus C. 317-25 Crisp us c. 324 Martinianus

C. 317-37 Constantine II A. 324-37 Constantine

A. 337-40 c. 324-37 Constantius

c. 3,33-37 Constans A. 337-6r

A. 337-50

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE XV

WEST EAST

c. 335-37 Dalmatius A. 35o-53 Magnentius c. 35G-54 Gallus A. 350 Vetranio A. 35o Nepotianus A. 35 I-61 Constantius II A. 355 Silvanus c. 355-6° Julian A. 36o-63 A. 361-63 Julian A. 363-64 Jovian A. 363-64 Jovian A. 364-75 V alentinian I A. 364-78 Valens A. 372 Firm us A. 365 Procopius A. 375-83 Gratian A. 383-87 Maxim us A. 379-95 Theodosius I A. 383-92 V alentinian II A. 392-94 Eugenius A. 394-95 Theodosius I A. 395-423 Honorius A. 395-408 Arcadius A. 397 Gil do A. 407-I I Constantine A. 4o8-5o Theodosius II C. 408-10 Constans A. 408-IO Attalus A. 412-13 Jovinus A. 421 Constantius III A. 423-25 John A. 425-55 V alentinian III A. 45o-57 Marcian

A. 455 Petronius Maximus A. 455-56 A virus A. 457-61 Majorian A. 457-74 Leo I A. 461-65 Libius Severns A. 467-72 Anthemius A. 47 2 Olybrius A. 473 Glycerins A. 473-80 Julius Nepos A. 474 Leo II A. 475-76 Romulus A. 474-91 Zeno