Pompey, Cato, and the Governance of the Roman Empire - Hardcover

Morrell, Kit

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0198755147 ISBN 13: 9780198755142

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2017

Synopsis

Provincial governance under the Roman republic has long been notorious for its corrupt officials and greedy tax-farmers, though this is far from being the whole story. This book challenges the traditional picture, contending that leading late republican citizens were more concerned about the problems of their empire than is generally recognized, and took effective steps to address them.

Attempts to improve provincial governance over the period 70-50 BC are examined in depth, with a particular focus on the contributions of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey) and the younger Marcus Porcius Cato. These efforts ranged well beyond the sanctions of the extortion law, encompassing show trials and model governors, and drawing on principles of moral philosophy. In 52-50 BC they culminated in a coordinated reform programme which combined far-sighted administrative change with a concerted attempt to transform the ethos of provincial governance: the union of what Cicero called 'Cato's policy' of ethical governance with Pompey's lex de provinciis, a law which transformed the very nature of provincial command.

Though more familiar as political opponents, Pompey and Cato were united in their interest in good governance and were capable of working alongside each other to effect positive change. This book demonstrates that it was their eventual collaboration, in the late 50s BC, that produced the republic's most significant programme of provincial reform. In the process, it offers a new perspective on these two key figures as well as an enriched understanding of provincial governance in the late Roman republic.

About this title

About the Author

Kit Morrell, Research Associate, University of Sydney

Kit Morrell completed her doctorate at the University of Sydney, where she is currently a Research Associate.

Review

"Besides the undeniable value of its contents, the innovative approach of the book is probably its most significant aspect, since the author proposes a fresh perspective on the policy applied by the Romans in their provinces." --Alejandro Díaz Fernández, Bryn Mawr Cl assical Review

"Morrell takes a refreshing look at Caesar's opponents Pompey and Cato and through them strives to reevaluate several questions of the late republic ... Morrell certainly challenges some interpretations long accepted by Roman historians ... The strength of Morrell's book in many ways is the ability to see relationships and to connect events that hitherto have been considered to have little or no association ... The primary achievement of Morrell's book is the re-interpretation of Cato, who for so long has either been surrounded with the aura of holiness or attacked for a philosophical stubbornness detached from reality ... Morrell does an excellent job of evaluating Cato on his own merits, at least as much as possible given the sources, which are both encomiastic and hostile" -- Thomas E. Strunk, Polis

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0198755147
• ISBN 13: 9780198755142
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 320