The Roman Revolution: ThePax Romana

Abstract

Summary The creation of the Roman Peace involved technical and quantitative developments in a particular type of political rule that produced the appropriate imperial subjects. It also involved concepts of what that pax was to be and how it was to function. These ideas, in turn, demanded new kinds of subjectivity that conflicted with the strong concepts of freedom enjoyed by the citizens of a city-state. The following essay attempts to investigate the development of the intertwining strands of subservience and peace in the middle Republic and their fruition in the transition to the Principate. The core concern is one raised by Momigliano: How did this sea change in political identity affect the mentality of the new subjects of empire?