Did Mark Antony Contemplate an Alliance with His Political Enemies in July 44 B. C. E.?
T HIS PAPER SEEKS TO DISPEL the prevailing view that Mark Antony signaled a willingness to draw closer to his political enemies in the Senate in late July 44 B.C.E. Cicero informs us that rumors of a possible reconciliation between Antony and the "Liberators" Brutus and Cassius were brought to him on 7 August when he was waiting not far from Rhegium (on the "toe" of Italy) to continue his voyage to Greece (Att. 16.7.1; Phil. 1.7-8). The story has also made its way into Plutarch (Cic. 43.4). Scholars lay particular stress on Cicero's remark that he first began to think of returning to Rome after he read a transcript of a speech (contio) by Antony that was brought to him by some townsmen of Rhegium. Unfortunately Cicero tells us nothing specific about the contents of that speech, but modern accounts characterize it as having an "unexpectedly moderate tone,'" one that was "friendly and favourable to the Liberators."2 This interpretation rests on the assumption that in his speech Antony extended an olive branch to Brutus and Cassius. According to the standard reconstruction of events in late July, Antony was forced to adopt a radical shift in policy in the direction of drawing closer to the Senate. He did so, it is argued, out of a need to form a new political alliance as a counterweight to the threat posed by the surging popularity of Julius Caesar's chief heir Octavian, the future emperor Augustus. The precipitating factor that supposedly influenced Antony to change political course is said to be the success of Octavian's games in honor of Caesar and Venus Genetrix (20-c. 28 July),3 during which the appearance of a daylight comet (the sidus Iulium) was interpreted as a sign of Caesar's apotheosis.4
A STUDY OF FULVIA
ii Acknowledgements iv List of Figures vii Abbreviations viii Historiae Personae ix Chapter One: Introduction 1 Brief Summary of the Life of Fulvia 2 Thesis Overview 10 Chapter Two: Literature Overview 13 Chapter Three: Fulvia in the Contemporary Sources 32 Cicero and Fulvia 32 Nepos and Fulvia 65 Octavian’s Epigram (Martial, 11.20) 67 Sling Bullets Used in the Siege of Perusia 74 Coins 77 The Images of Antony’s Victoria Coins (Figures 1.i-v) 83 The Images of the Idealized Victoria Coins (Figures 2.i-ii) 85 Summary 86 Chapter Four: Portrayal of Fulvia in the Sources After her Death 87 Efforts on Behalf of her Husbands and Children 88 Fulvia’s Role in the Proscriptions of 43/42 99 Fulvia’s Role in the Start of the Perusine War 109 Fulvia as Military Commander and a Commander of Men 123 Fulvia as Scapegoat for the Perusine War 131 Summary 135 Chapter Five: Conclusion 137 Bibliography 144
Plutarch and Rome
City and Imperial Administration in the Later Roman Empire J. H. W. G. LIEBESCHUETZ In this book the writings of Libanius are used to illustrate trends in the public life of Antioch in the fourth century. Under the impact of the centralizing reforms of the emperors Diocletian and Constantine, civil institutions were caught in a vicious circle. Failures of the curial oligarchy provoked the interference on the part of the imperial governors. This in turn weakened the machinery of civic self-government until eventually the council lost all authority, and the city developed patterns of political behaviour adapted to the new situation. 2 maps £5