University
of Waterloo
Classical
Studies 252/History 252
Ancient
Roman History
Overhead
Lecture Notes
Lecture
#V
Content
for Test #2
Lecturer
: D. E. A. Hutter
Important:
1. These notes are for D. E. A. Hutter’s section only.
2. These
notes give only an outline of the lectures, and important names and terms.
Students are expected to take detailed notes during the lectures.
3. Text Readings: pages 115 – 124, 130 – 142 & 153 – 163.
LECTURE V
- RETURN OF TEST #1 -
- PROVINCIAL ADMINISTRATION -
-
EXPANSION: WEST & EAST-
- THE INTERNAL VIOLENCE BEGINS -
- BREAK -
- FILM: HANNIBAL -
PROVINCIAL ADMINISTRATION
Rome’s
expansion created a need to govern new territories or risk losing them to her
rivals
First
Punic War - Sicily, and Sardinia-Corsica (227 BC)
Second
Punic War – 2 Spains (Hispania Citerior & Hispania Ulterior 197 BC)
Third
Punic War – North Africa (Africa Proconsularis 146 BC)
Policy
established in the west continues during later conquests in the west
Republican
Model:
Governor
(Praetor/law) – a Senatorial magistrate appointed by Senate for 1 year)
-could ask Rome for troops or $
-could not be recalled until year was up
-bad governors extort 3 fortunes
a)
Defence Lawyer against corruption charges
b)
Bribes jury/court at their trial
c)
Retirement
Provincia -a “task”
–sphere of magisterial influence
-divided into many city-states (civitas)and units of local government
For
example, look at Sicilian civitas
organization:
a) Federate cities (3 in Sicily)
-special treaty states (like independent countries in
theory)
-Governor could interfere, but seldom did
b)
Free and Immune cities (5 in Sicily)
-pay no Roman tribute and (theoretically) exempt from
Roman Governor
-kept own laws
-Governor could ask/demand $ “grants” if needed (seldom
did)
c)
Tribute Paying cities (52 in Sicily)
-Decuma –10% tax on value of crops and
fruit
-Portoria –c. 5% tax on value of Customs
-Scriptura- pasturage tax on animals
Taxes
collected by Publicani (Sicilian tax-farming companies) and paid to the
Provincial Quaestors
-bid for contract and pay $ up-front
-then collect taxes + profit + contract
bid
-no direct Roman collection of taxes
local
Roman magistrates:
Duovirs
(judges, census)
Aediles
(works, festivals),
Quaestors
(finances, treasuer, taxes)
Roman
control made use of local elites
-provincial towns run by local council
-local magistrates get citizenship, set model of
Romanization
client
kings (run internal affairs & friendship with Rome)
-mostly in east; client kingdoms later become provinces
urbanization:
introduced by Rome in western provinces
town-country
relations (rural food, urban merchandise)
colonia
("colony") a settlement of Roman citizens in captured territory):
security etc.
municipality
(native town granted Latin right)
all
other towns = unprivileged
Changes
during the Empire:
3
types of province (senatorial, imperial, + Emperor’s provinces
senatorial:
governor = proconsul (imperium)
imperial:
governor = legate (hand-picked)
emperor's
provinces = frontiers; also controls Egypt (prefect)
provincial
assembly could complain to Rome
Cursus
Publicus (Imperial postal system)
-diploma
(permit to use Imperial Post
rescript
(emperor's reply) between Pliny and Trajan
taxes
now collected by towns and paid to Quaestor
procurator:
looks after emperor's property in imperial provinces
-handles all finances (no quaestor) and watches governor
Conquest of Spain in 2nd
Punic War beginning of 200 year war of pacification
-Rome’s Vietnam
-no quarter asker or given
145 BC Variathus emerges as
a Spanish hero
141 BC Variathus murdered by
his friends who had been bribed by Rome
-Rome
then offers terms to Spaniards to lay down their arms (& then murders
them!)
133 BC Spanish revolt ends
with destruction of town of Numantia
The Hellenistic East
a) Macedonia under the Antigonid Dynasty
b) Syria under the Seleucid Dynasty
c) Egypt under the Ptolemaic Dynasty
-all
three “Successor” Kingdoms of Alexander the Great
d) The Hellenistic kingdoms of Pergamum and Rhodes
e) Greek Leagues (Aetolian and Achaean)
1st Macedonian
War (216-205 BC)
-Philip V
-Rome
allies to Aetolian League and ties up Philip
2nd Macedonian
War (200-196 BC)
-Rhodes and Pergamum appeal to Rome
-Consul
Titus Quinctius Flaminus declares “Freedom of all Greeks”
-Philip
defeated at Battle of Cynoscephale (“Dogs’ Heads”) in Thessaly in 197 BC
-shows
Hellenistic world superiority of the Roman Legion over the Greek Phalanx
-Philip keeps throne, but gives up some land
Eumenes II of Pergamum
-spy, opportunist and trouble-maker
The Syrian War (192-188 BC)
-Antiochus
III invades Greece to aid the Aetolians (opportunist see weaken Philip)
-Rome sees this as her sphere of influence
-allies
to Macedon, Pergamum, Rhodes, The Achaean League, Carthage and Numidia
-191 BC Antiochus loses at the Battle of Thermopylae (Hannibal a military advisor!)
-190
BC loses at Battle of Magnesia to Lucius Cornelius Scipio (Scipio Africanus his
Legatus)
-most
of Asia Minor given to Rhodes and Pergamum
-Empire
falls apart and wasted in wars with Egypt
Antiochus IV (175-164 BC)
attempts to Hellenize the Jewish faith
-attempts
to devote temple of Jahweh in Jerusalem to Ba’al Ahamin (“Lord of the Heavens”)
// Zeus
-Judas
Maccabeus leads a Jewish revolt
-wins
many victories
-164
BC Judas purifies the temple
-161
BC Jerusalem becomes an ally of Rome
-129
BC becomes an independent state
3rd Macedonian
War (171-167 BC)
-179 BC Perseus becomes King of Macedon
-Perseus begins to expand
-Lucius
Aemilius Paullus defeats Perseus at the Battle of Pydna
-Perseus imprisoned, tortured and murdered
-Macedonia divided into 4 republics
-monarchy abolished
Polybius (Achaean historian)
becomes a hostage in Rome for 16 years
4th Macedonian
War (149-148 BC)
-Macedon rebels and is crushed
-made a Roman Province
-Greek Leagues broken up
146 BC The Corinthian War
-Corinth
and Achaean League rebel against Rome
-Lucius
Mummius plunders Corinth
133 BC Attalos III bequeath
kingdom to Rome
-became the Province of Asia
46 BC Greece becomes
the Province of Achaea
By 146 BC Rome has no more
major “civilized” enemies in the Mediterranean
-Rome begins to turn upon herself politically
THE INTERNAL VIOLENCE BEGINS
Problems
caused by long series of wars
-decline in the number of citizen soldier farmers
-economy/agriculture in decline
-creation of Latifundia (plantations or country estates)
in opposition to the Licinian-Sextian Law of 367 BC
-"The Mob"
-rise of the Equestrians and their struggle for power
with the Patricians
-Patrician Governors of new provinces often corrupt
-publicani/tax-farming
-a city-state government struggling to rule an
"empire"
-Populares (Assembly/people vs Senate)
-Optimates (“The Best Men”/Senate)
Tiberius
Sempronius Gracchus (162-133 BC)
-son of Cornelia, daughter of Scipio
Africanus
-Plebeian
-Tribune of the People 133 BC (fanatical)
-veto
-sacrosanct
Lex Agraria (133 BC)
a) revise Licinian-Sextian Law
(500 acres of Ager Publicus vs 320 + 160 for each of two sons)
-purchase extra land back from Latifundia
b)create small farms for urban and rural poor from Ager
Publicus
c) create a Land Commision with
consular power (Tiberius & Gaius Gracchus & kinsmen Appius Claudius)
Senate
turns down Lex Agraria
Tiberius
takes Lex Agraria to the Tribal
Assembly
-vetoed by Octavius, a Tribune loyal to Senate
-veto is sacred and should be end of law
-Tiberius
proposes another bill that had opposing Tribune removed (illegal)
-Lex Agraria
passed by Tribal assembly
Powerful
Land Commission begins to divide land
-Gracchi gain 1000’s of supporters
-threaten old power base of Roman Senate
Senate
refuses to finance commission
-Gracchi claim finances from will of Attalos III of
Pergamum
-angers Senate (overstep his authority)
Tiberius ran for second consecutive term to save his life and legislation (legal?)
4 great irregularities of Tiberius’ actions
a) pass law against the will of the Senate
b) gain power by removing a Tribune
c) threaten to get $ by taking a Senatorial province
d) run for Tribunate a second time (and threaten the power of the Senate)
Senate
accuses him of regnum
(tyranny/kingship)
-Pontifex Maximus gets mob to murder Tiberius and 300 of
his followers in 129 BC (even though he is sacrosanct!)
new
farms created on a smaller scale
125 BC
revolt and destruction of Latin city of Fregellae
-want more rights and rewards for fighting for Rome for
200 years
-allied Italian cities restive
Gaius
Sempronius Gracchus (153-121 BC)
-Plebeian and younger brother of Tiberius Gracchus
-elected Tribune 123 & 122 BC
His
Laws:
a) re-enacted brother's land reforms
b) Citizens rights to a proper trial reaffirmed
c) People removed from office by Tribal Assembly cut off from further
political office
d) Provincial law reforms
e) Equestrians now jury for extortion law courts (corrupt Senatorial
Governors), not Senators
f)
Equestrians in Rome can now tax-farm in Asia (buy Publicani contracts
while in Rome)
g) Lex Frumentaria grain
law to stabilize prices
h) Expand citizenship (Latins to become Romans. Italians
to become Latins.)
i)
Create a foreign colony at Junonia (North Africa)
Proposed
laws popular with Equestrians
121 BC
tried to be re-elected as a Tribune for a third consecutive time!
Senate
fear African colony used as a power base
-Senate and people reject extension of citizenship
(narrow view)
-third attempt at Tribunate causes panic
Senatus
Consultum Ultimum (Final Decree of the Senate)
-Consuls make sure no harm comes to the State
-can illegally execute “trouble makers”
-Salus Populi est Suprema Lex (“The Safety of the People
is the Highest Law”)
-Gaius charged with regnum
(tyranny)
-Gaius and 3000 followers murdered
Gracchi
tried to set up a more democratic system in Rome (not the Roman way)
Dignitas
– a Roman’s worth, status and honour
-Gracchi becoming the “Kennedy’s” of Rome
Senate
failing at running Rome & turn to violence