Fleets and Prouinciae in the Roman Republic: institutions, administration and the conceptualisation of empire between 260 and 49 B.C.
<p>This research examines how, when and why the Romans assigned and defined the tasks of preparing and commanding fleets during the Republic. In doing so, it brings new evidence to bear on the wider debates about the nature of the <em>prouincia</em> and the institutional and admini...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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2014
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| _version_ | 1817932373470216192 |
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| author | Day, S |
| author2 | Prag, J |
| author_facet | Prag, J Day, S |
| author_sort | Day, S |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | <p>This research examines how, when and why the Romans assigned and defined the tasks of preparing and commanding fleets during the Republic. In doing so, it brings new evidence to bear on the wider debates about the nature of the <em>prouincia</em> and the institutional and administrative development of the Roman empire.</p> <p>The <em>communis opinio</em> is that a <em>prouincia</em> originally represented a functional “sphere of operation” that was allotted or assigned to a magistrate and that it only later developed a geographical meaning with territorial connotations through the process of “provincialisation.” This research challenges that view through an analysis of the evidence for the definition, assignment and practical use of the <em>prouincia classis</em> and other <em>prouinciae</em> connected with the command of fleets. Drawing upon and analysing the lists of administrative arrangements to be found in the “annalistic” sections of the surviving books of Livy’s History, it argues that prouinciae were defined in specific geographical and functional terms long before the development of permanent territorial empire. This offers a new perspective which points to and elucidates the flexible use of the <em>prouincia</em> as a means of separating magistrates and promagistrates in space or by function in space. It argues that the rationale for this was to limit conflicts between commanders over command and triumphal rights.</p> <p>By combining evidence from a wide range of sources after the loss of Livy’s <em>History</em> from 167, the research shows that the above rationale for demarcating <em>prouinciae</em> still applied in the first century B.C. However, it also demonstrates that there were significant changes with the assignment of vast Mediterranean-wide naval <em>prouinciae</em> in the first half of the first century B.C. It argues that the definition of these <em>prouinciae</em> was made possible by the development of a singular collective Mediterranean-wide <em>ora maritima</em>, which was brought about by the Romans’ increasing “acknowledgement of empire.” The negative political and institutional implications of these developments are also assessed.</p> <p>Finally, in discussing the above, this research also provides new insights into the role and <em>auctoritas</em> of the Senate, the function and freedom of magistrates, and the Romans’ conceptualisation of their empire.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T20:08:21Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oxford-uuid:29ad413f-bd52-40f9-ae1c-3cb273642cdd |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-09T03:36:53Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:29ad413f-bd52-40f9-ae1c-3cb273642cdd2024-12-01T20:11:22ZFleets and Prouinciae in the Roman Republic: institutions, administration and the conceptualisation of empire between 260 and 49 B.C.Thesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06uuid:29ad413f-bd52-40f9-ae1c-3cb273642cddHistory of the ancient worldHistoryEnglishOxford University Research Archive - Valet2014Day, SPrag, J<p>This research examines how, when and why the Romans assigned and defined the tasks of preparing and commanding fleets during the Republic. In doing so, it brings new evidence to bear on the wider debates about the nature of the <em>prouincia</em> and the institutional and administrative development of the Roman empire.</p> <p>The <em>communis opinio</em> is that a <em>prouincia</em> originally represented a functional “sphere of operation” that was allotted or assigned to a magistrate and that it only later developed a geographical meaning with territorial connotations through the process of “provincialisation.” This research challenges that view through an analysis of the evidence for the definition, assignment and practical use of the <em>prouincia classis</em> and other <em>prouinciae</em> connected with the command of fleets. Drawing upon and analysing the lists of administrative arrangements to be found in the “annalistic” sections of the surviving books of Livy’s History, it argues that prouinciae were defined in specific geographical and functional terms long before the development of permanent territorial empire. This offers a new perspective which points to and elucidates the flexible use of the <em>prouincia</em> as a means of separating magistrates and promagistrates in space or by function in space. It argues that the rationale for this was to limit conflicts between commanders over command and triumphal rights.</p> <p>By combining evidence from a wide range of sources after the loss of Livy’s <em>History</em> from 167, the research shows that the above rationale for demarcating <em>prouinciae</em> still applied in the first century B.C. However, it also demonstrates that there were significant changes with the assignment of vast Mediterranean-wide naval <em>prouinciae</em> in the first half of the first century B.C. It argues that the definition of these <em>prouinciae</em> was made possible by the development of a singular collective Mediterranean-wide <em>ora maritima</em>, which was brought about by the Romans’ increasing “acknowledgement of empire.” The negative political and institutional implications of these developments are also assessed.</p> <p>Finally, in discussing the above, this research also provides new insights into the role and <em>auctoritas</em> of the Senate, the function and freedom of magistrates, and the Romans’ conceptualisation of their empire.</p> |
| spellingShingle | History of the ancient world History Day, S Fleets and Prouinciae in the Roman Republic: institutions, administration and the conceptualisation of empire between 260 and 49 B.C. |
| title | Fleets and Prouinciae in the Roman Republic: institutions, administration and the conceptualisation of empire between 260 and 49 B.C. |
| title_full | Fleets and Prouinciae in the Roman Republic: institutions, administration and the conceptualisation of empire between 260 and 49 B.C. |
| title_fullStr | Fleets and Prouinciae in the Roman Republic: institutions, administration and the conceptualisation of empire between 260 and 49 B.C. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fleets and Prouinciae in the Roman Republic: institutions, administration and the conceptualisation of empire between 260 and 49 B.C. |
| title_short | Fleets and Prouinciae in the Roman Republic: institutions, administration and the conceptualisation of empire between 260 and 49 B.C. |
| title_sort | fleets and prouinciae in the roman republic institutions administration and the conceptualisation of empire between 260 and 49 b c |
| topic | History of the ancient world History |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT days fleetsandprouinciaeintheromanrepublicinstitutionsadministrationandtheconceptualisationofempirebetween260and49bc |