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The Freedman's Son in Municipal Life

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 September 2012

Mary L. Gordon
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Extract

Tacitus declares in a well-known passage that a large proportion of the nobility of the Roman Empire was descended from freedmen. The assertion, if true, is of great historical importance; indeed, it has recently been maintained that the penetration of Roman society by men of servile descent was one of the chief causes of the decline and fall of the Empire. Such an introduction of fresh blood from below is not in itself unusual or undesirable. What made it without parallel in the case of Rome was that this new blood was derived from foreigners and slaves. But the statement of Tacitus may be a rhetorical exaggeration, especially for the reign of Nero to which he ascribes it. We can to some extent test its truth by a study of the inscriptions relating to the lesser aristocracy of the Italian towns, since it was from this that the senatorial and equestrian orders were largely recruited, while in these small communities humble origin was less carefully and less easily concealed. The present discussion is based upon a collection of more than a thousand such inscriptions, which record the names of town-councillors and holders of municipal offices, including priesthoods other than those open to freedmen. The parts of Italy from which they are taken display the greatest diversity of local conditions.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Roman Studies , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , 1931 , pp. 65 - 77
Copyright
Copyright ©Mary L. Gordon 1931. Exclusive Licence to Publish: The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

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References

page 65 note 1 Ann. xiii, 27.

page 65 note 2 Duff, A. M., Freedmen in the Early Roman Empire, p. 207Google Scholar.

page 65 note 3 C.I.L. x, 1231 (Dessau I.L.S. 6343).

page 65 note 4 C.I.L. x, 1271, 6104 (Dessau I.L.S. 1745).

page 66 note 1 C.I.L. x, 4760 (Dessau I.L.S. 6296) (Suessa).

page 66 note 2 Epb. Ep. viii, no. 369, C.I.L. x, 60 (Dessau I.L.S. 6464).

page 66 note 3 C.I.L. xiv, 2045 (Dessau I.L.S. 1534) (Ostia); x, 1724 (Dessau I.L.S. 1678) (Puteoli). Pantomimi: C.I.L. xiv, 4254 (Dessau I.L.S. 5191) (Tibur, A.D. 199), 2113 (Dessau I.L.S. 5193) (Lanuvium, A.D. 187); v, 5889 (Dessau I.L.S. 5195) (Mediolanum), Eph. Ep., loc. cit. (Puteoli, time of Commodus).

page 66 note 4 C.I.L. xiv, 374 (Dessau I.L.S. 6165) (Ostia); x, 4643 (Cales); x, 1881 (Dessau I.L.S. 6328) (Puteoli); v, 4477 (Brixia) 5844, 6349 (Dessau I.L.S. 6738) (Laus Pompeia); x, 1217 (Dessau I.L.S. 5651) (Abella); xi, 5965 (Pitunum), 6358 (Dessau I.L.S. 6654) (Pisaurum). Cf. also v, 3282 (Dessau I.L.S. 3767) (Verona); xiv, 2466 (Castrimoenium); x, 5348 (Dessau I.L.S. 5698) (Interamna). Praefecti Augustales at Gabii, cf. xiv, 2807.

page 66 note 5 C.I.L. xi, 6378; v. 4392 (Dessau I.L.S. 5631).

page 67 note 1 C.I.L. xiv, 341 (Dessau I.L.S. 6143); 5379, 306 (Dessau I.L.S. 6144). Cf. 321 (Dessau I.L.S. 6136); 414, 292 (Dessau I.L.S. 6137); 351 (Dessau I.L.S. 6145).

page 67 note 2 C.I.L. x, 1804 (Dessau I.L.S. 8236); xi, 5002; xiv, 2170.

page 67 note 3 C.I.L. x, 1268, 3736; xiv, 3680.

page 67 note 4 C.I.L. xi, 4582, 126.

page 67 note 5 C.I.L. x, 1208 (Abella); cf. 1490 (Neapolis).

page 67 note 6 C.I.L. xiv, 4642. Cf. C.I.L. v, 337 (Dessau I.L.S. 6679) (Parentium), the public funeral of a fourteen-year-old decurion, qui parentes suos miseros senes in luctu reliquit. (Their names are not given, which rather suggests obscure birth.) Cf. also 903 (Aquileia), in solacium amissi optimi et praestantissimi fili.

page 68 note 1 C.I.L. x, 6318 (Dessau I.L.S. 2815); v, 27; xi, 3932 (Dessau I.L.S. 5770).

page 68 note 2 C.I.L. xiv, 412 (Dessau I.L.S. 6142), 415, 5379 (Ostia), 3680 (Tibur); x, 5929 (Anagnia), 3736 (Atella), 1268 (Nola); perhaps also 6015 (Formiae); xi, 853 (Mutina). Cf. however C.I.L. ix, 2656 (Aesernia), where the aedile L. Abullius Hymes seems to be named after a freedman and sevir.

page 68 note 3 C.I.L. x, 410 (Dessau I.L.S. 2071).

page 68 note 4 C.I.L. v, 6896.

page 68 note 5 C.I.L. xiv, 294.

page 68 note 6 Staatsrecht, iii, p. 442seq.Google Scholar

page 69 note 1 Cf. M. Armonius, sevir at Concordia, C.I.L. v, 1884 (Dessau I.L.S. 6689); Obsequentius Severinus, Augustalis at Pisae (Colonia Obsequens Iulia) C.I.L. xi, 1444 (Dessau I.L.S. 6600).

page 69 note 2 C.I.L. x, 4760 (Dessau I.L.S. 6296).

page 69 note 3 C.I.L. x, 1807.

page 69 note 4 C.I.L. xiv, 415. Cf. Caecilius Metellus at Pompeii; J.R.S. xvii, p. 180Google Scholar.

page 70 note 1 Cf. C.I.L. x, 1233 (Dessau I.L.S. 6124) (Nola); xi, 1420–21 (Dessau I.L.S. 139–40) (Pisae); 3805 (Dessau I.L.S. 6579) (Veii); 3254 (Sutrium); xiv, 2964 (Praeneste); 4530–4 (Ostia).

page 70 note 2 C.I.L. xiv, 2466; xi, 3805 (Dessau I.L.S. 6579).

page 70 note 3 C.I.L. xi, 4535 (Ostia) Optatus, pontifex, A.D. 36 x, 4881 (Dessau I.L.S. 8530) (Venafrum) Mela, named from bis mother Melanta, duumvir befo e A.D.41.

page 70 note 4 For Pompeii, see J.R.S. xvii, p. 179Google Scholar.

page 70 note 5 C.I.L. x, 6318 (Dessau I.L.S. 2815).

page 70 note 6 C.I.L. x, 1549.

page 70 note 7 C.I.L. xi, 4123 (Dessau I.L.S. 5446).

page 70 note 8 C.I.L. ix, 5533 (Dessau I.L.S. 1011).

page 70 note 9 C.I.L. xi, 3593 (Caere) Acanthus and Eutychus, under Claudius; 1331 (Dessau I.L.S. 233) Glaucus, A.D. 66; ix, 5420 (Falerio) Achilles, A.D. 82; vi, 951 Euanthus, aedile of Castrum Novum in A.D. 97.

page 71 note 1 C.I.L. ix, 338 (Dessau I.L.S. 6121). Greek names as such are not significant in this case, since the town was half Greek.

page 71 note 2 C.I.L. ix, 5358 (Dessau I.L.S. 1325). Mommsen infers from his tribe that he was the son of a libertus. For the invasion of the equestrian order by freedmen and their sons, see Stein, A., Der römische Ritterstand, pp. 107–125Google Scholar.

page 71 note 3 C.I.L. x, 6565 (Dessau I.L.S. 5632). Cf. 5349 (Interamna), M. Sentius Redemptus, primarius civitatis, A.D. 408.

page 72 note 1 Cf. C.I.L. xiv, 2168 (Aricia), Aurelius Lupianus and Aelia Iulia; 2170, Aurelius Tucca and Iulia Hermione; 5340 (Ostia), Aurelius Hermes and Flavius Priscus; x, 6236 (Fundi), Flavius Geminus and Aurelia Zosime; v, 7373 (Vercellae), Marius Aelianus and Iulia Thetis; xi, 3939 (Capena), Aurelia Mariame and Flavia Marcellina. These instances are all taken from the families of decurions.

page 72 note 2 C.I.L. xi, 3835.

page 72 note 3 C.I.L. xiv, 4143 (Ostia); v, 4459 (Dessau I.L.S. 6715) (Brixia); xi, 126 (Ravenna); ix, 284 (Barium), 338 (Dessau I.L.S. 6121) (Canusium), 2666 (Dessau I.L.S. 6518) (Aesernia), 3945 (Alba Fucens). Cf. also ix, 5539 (Urbs Salvia).

page 72 note 4 Eph. Ep. viii, no. 340.

page 72 note 5 C.I.L. xi, 4659 (Dessau I.L.S. 6625), 4660, 4742, 4750 (Dessau I.L.S. 6626).

page 72 note 6 C.I.L. v, 7607; xi, 5754. Cf. also xiv, 354 (Ostia), Fabricius; ix, 4324 (Amiternum), Fullonius.

page 72 note 7 C.I.L. x, 1489.

page 72 note 8 C.I.L. v, 5866.

page 72 note 9 C.I.L. xiv, 374 (Dessau I.L.S. 6165).

page 72 note 10 C.I.L. xiv, 409 (Dessau I.L.S. 6146).

page 73 note 1 C.I.L. xi, 4391.

page 73 note 2 C.I.L. xiv, 4642.

page 73 note 3 Eph. Ep. viii, no. 368 (Dessau I.L.S. 2748). The cognomen is derived from a neighbouring hill.

page 73 note 4 C.I.L. vi, 1808 (Dessau I.L.S. 1898); x, 4737 (Dessau I.L.S. 1898a). For other examples of scribae see C.I.L. xiv, 354 (Ostia), 3674 (Dessau I.L.S. 1889) (Tibur); x, 4832 (Rufrae), 6094 (Dessau I.L.S. 6283) (Formiae).

page 73 note 5 Cf. C.I.L. xiv, 4553, 431, 4671, 411 (Ostia); x, 1807 (Puteoli), 4760 (Dessau I.L.S. 6296) (Suessa); v, 5658, 5894 (Dessau I.L.S. 6732) (Mediolanum), 6364 (Laus Pompeia), 6896 (Augusta Praetoria); xi, 853 (Mutina), 4582 (Carsulae), 5754 (Sentinum).

page 73 note 6 C.I.L. xiv, 2809 (Dessau I.L.S. 6219); x, 1209; v, 5294.

page 73 note 7 C.I.L. xi, 418; cf. 389.

page 74 note 1 C.I.L., xi, 6357 (Dessau I.L.S. 5057). Cf. 1841 (Arretium), 3807 (Dessau I.L.S. 6582 b) (Veii).

page 74 note 2 C.I.L. v, 5294; xiv, 3011; v, 4392 (Dessau I.L.S. 5631).

page 74 note 3 Not. d. Scavi, 1918, p. 140. Cf. C.I.L. xi, 4582 (Carsulae), aqueduct; xi, 4087, 4090 (Ocriculum), thermae, 126 (Ravenna), temple of Neptune.

page 74 note 4 C.I.L. x, 5852–3 (Dessau I.L.S. 6271).

page 74 note 5 Cf. contributions to the annona: C.I.L. x, 1217 (Dessau I.L.S 5651) (Abella); xi, 3009 (Dessau I.L.S. 6595) (Viterbo).

page 75 note 1 C.I.L. xiv, 3663 (Dessau I.L.S. 6234). Cf. 4642 (Ostia), ludi scaenici.

page 75 note 2 C.I.L. xi, 3807–11 (Dessau I.L.S. 6582 a,b,c, 6583).

page 75 note 3 C.I.L. xi, 5054 (Dessau I.L.S. 5271).

page 75 note 4 C.I.L. xi, 4391.

page 75 note 5 C.I.L. xiv, 4142 (Dessau I.L.S. 6140).

page 75 note 6 C.I.L. xi, 6370.

page 75 note 7 Duff, A. M., Freedmen in the Early Roman Empire, p. 203Google Scholar.

page 75 note 8 Cf. further C.I.L. xi, 1447 (Ostia) patronus fabrum navalium; x, 5415 (Aquinum), patronus collegii aeniatorum,; xiv, 2809 (Dessau I.L.S. 6219) Gabii) dendropbori patrono.

page 76 note 1 C.I.L. xi, 4123 (Dessau I.L.S. 5446) (Narnia), Laelius; x, 60 (Dessau I.L.S. 6464) (Vibo), Laberius; v, 888 (Aquileia), T. Flavius Vettianus. Vibii: xi, 130 (Ravenna); v, 6519 (Novaria); ix, 1657–8 (Beneventum)338 (Dessau I.L.S. 6121) (Canusium), Lollii: ix, 1648 (Dessau I.L.S. 6499) (Beneventum); x, 6565 (Dessau I.L.S. 5632) (Velitrae); xiv, 47 (Dessau I.L.S. 4402) (Ostia).

page 76 note 2 C.I.L. xiv, 335. Cf. x, 227 (Grumentum), C. Turcius Nebrus, duumvir, whose cognomen is derived from his mother.

page 76 note 3 C.I.L. xi, 4391; (Dessau I.L.S. 3499). Cf. xiv, 415 (Ostia), Epaphras, Felix and Fausta; v, 5300, Cerdo, Successor.

page 76 note 4 C.I.L. ix, 3840, 3841.

page 77 note 1 Duff, A. M., Freedmen, p. 209Google Scholar.

page 77 note 2 C.I.L. v, 6842, P. Vinesius Firmus, munerarius and father of Fortunatus and Faustina.