CiceroD Posted February 23, 2007 Report Share Posted February 23, 2007 For those unaware in 68 B.C. Pirates destroyed the Fleet and Town of Ostia. The overwhelming reaction of the Roman people was the Lex Gabinia offering Pompey supreme command of an unheard of force to clear the seas of Pirates. He officially accomplished this in six month's time. This leaves me with two questions Did Pompey really clear the seas? It has been observed by many that six months is scarcely adaquate an amount of time to clear the entire Mediterranean? According to Lindsay Davis in "Scandal takes a Holiday" these ex pirates were merely chastised and settled by Pompey. She makes it appear as though the source of slaves during the Pax Romana was in large part dependent on Piracy, therefore it was tolerated. Did the unheard of power vested in Pompey hasten the Fall of the Republic? Last year Robert Harris (Author of Pompeii and Imperium) wrote an article linking the destabilization of Republican Rome to this event and comparing it to 9,11 and the US senate's restrictions on Habeas Corpus to Terrorism detainees and other Patriot Act like measures. this can be found at (www.commondreams.org/views06/0930-28.htm) I wish I could make a link So what do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted February 23, 2007 Report Share Posted February 23, 2007 You may be very interested in adding your thoughts to this thread... The Lex Gabinia, Security Politics in the Ancient World Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted February 23, 2007 Report Share Posted February 23, 2007 You may be very interested in adding your thoughts to this thread... The Lex Gabinia, Security Politics in the Ancient World As for your question on Pompey and the effect of his command on piracy... the ease of his success against the pirates was due to the campaigns of Licinius Lucullus and of Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus. They had done much already to curb the pirate bases of Cilicia and surrounding territories and left largely only mop-up duties for Pompey in this particular aspect of the campaign. After Pompey, Rome controlled all the major ports of the Mediterranean, east and west, and unfettered piracy as anything more than a nominal threat was a thing of the past. Certainly it still ocurred and may have even worked in concert with Rome for more unscrupulous operations, but the notion of pirate cities/nations as independent powers ceased to exist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Octavius Posted February 23, 2007 Report Share Posted February 23, 2007 ??I didn't quite understand why and how the Lex Gabina was improperly passed.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Porcius Cato Posted February 24, 2007 Report Share Posted February 24, 2007 ??I didn't quite understand why and how the Lex Gabina was improperly passed.? It was carried into law over the veto of a legally-elected tribune of the plebs. Ironically, it was Pompey himself who reinstated the power of the tribunes after the death of Sulla. As far as I know, Pompey never explained this particular hypocrisy of his. One might argue, however, that since the tribune's power derived from the will of the people, the tribunes should not have been able to veto legislation passed by a legal assembly (as Octavius had done to Gracchus), but I don't think there was any law preventing a tribune from doing so. In any case, the story goes that when the tribune raised his veto, the throng protested with such a roar of disapproval that a bird passing overhead fell to the ground dead, and the majority got its way (and some say that Rome was an oligarchy!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.