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BANDITS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE
22 CIL XI 4639 = ILS 3001 = L. Schumacher, Römische Inschriften, Stuttgart 1988,
133f. no. 62. For defixio cf. L. Schumacher, Servus index. Sklavenverhör und Sklavenanzeige
im republikanischen und kaiserzeitlichen Rom (Forschungen zur antiken Sklaverei 15),
Wiesbaden 1983, 136–40.
23 J. Bleicken, Verfassungs- und Sozialgeschichte des Römischen Kaiserreiches, vol. II 2 ,
Paderborn 1981, 67f. Cf. also M. Rostovtzeff, Gesellschaft und Wirtschaft im römischen
Kaiserreich, vol. I, Leipzig 1929, 122, and likewise G. Alföldy, The Social History of
Rome, London/Sydney 1985, for outbreaks of banditry as particular symptoms of
crisis (e.g., 173f., 181, 211) and not as everyday occurrences even in periods of
tranquillity. In this respect it is telling that in the index to K. Christ’s Geschichte
der römischen Kaiserzeit (Munich 1988) there is no mention of key words such as
latrones, robbers, bandits and pirates. Likewise, in his text, latrones are touched on
occasionally – thus 346f.; 364 (Maternus); 609; 614 (Bulla Felix) – but without
consideration of the significance of the phenomenon in Roman imperial history.
24 Vell. 2.126.3: Diffusa in orientis occidentisque tractus et quidquid meridiano aut septentrione
finitur, pax Augusta per omnis terrarum orbis angulos a latrociniorum metu servat immunes.
(Trans. Shipley, Loeb) On this cf. G. Alföldy, ‘La politique provinciale de Tibère’,
Latomus 24, 1965, (824–44) 826f.
25 Sen. Clem. 1.4.2. Phil. Leg. ad Gai. 145f.; cf. Flacc. 11. Plin. Nat. 14.2. Epict.
3.13.9; cf. 4.1.4; Plut. Mor. 469E. Ael. Arist. Or. 26.30; 66f.; 70; 100. Veget.
4.31.
26 For the ideology of the pax Augusta cf. the works on the Ara Pacis Augustae cited
by D. Kienast, Augustus. Prinzeps und Monarch, Darmstadt 1982, 199; also Christ,
Kaiserzeit (n. 23), 169. A. Demandt, Der Idealstaat. Die politischen Theorien der Antike,
Cologne 1993, 261–5. H.W. Benario, ‘Tacitus’ view of the empire and the Pax
Romana’, ANRW II 33.5, 1991, 3332–53. E. Dinkler, E. v. Schubert-Dinkler,
s.v. Friede, RAC VIII, 1972, 434–505. G. Woolf, ‘Roman Peace’, in J. Rich,
G. Shipley, eds, War and Society in the Roman World, London 1993, 171–94.
27 Pekáry, Seditio. The extension to the Severan period is provided by Sünskes
Thompson, Aufstände; for the late Empire see MacMullen, Enemies, Chs V, VI and
appendices A, B.
28 For a more sober appreciation see e.g., F. Millar, ‘The World of the Golden Ass’, JRS
71, 1981, (63–75) 66; idem, ‘Italy and the Roman Empire: Augustus to Constantine’,
Phoenix 40, 1986, (295–318) 310ff. Drexhage, ‘Einbruch, Diebstahl und Straßenraub’
316f. Krause, Gefängnisse 24–6; 92–7.
29 Shaw, ‘Bandits’ 9.
30 Gai. Dig. 13.6.18 pr.:
in rebus commodatis talis diligentia praestanda est, qualem quisque diligentissimus
pater familias suis rebus adhibet, ita ut tantum eos casus non praestet, quibus
resisti non possit, veluti mortes servorum quae sine dolo et culpa eius accidunt,
latronum hostiumve incursus, piratarum insidias, naufragium, incendium, fugas
servorum qui custodiri non solent etc.
31 On vis maior see now U. Doll, Von der vis maior zur höheren Gewalt. Geschichte und
Dogmatik eines haftungsentlastenden Begriffs, Frankfurt-am-Main 1989; in particular,
for the passage of Gaius cited here, see 65ff.
32 Ulp. Dig. 17.2.52.3; 19.2.9.4. Paul. Dig. 17.1.26.6; 42.5.12.2; Herm. Dig. 26.7.5
pr. Maec. Dig. 35.2.30 pr. Caracalla, Cod. Iust. 4.65.1. Severus Alexander, Cod. Iust.
4.24.2; 4.34.1; Diocletian und Maximian, Cod. Iust. 5.31.8. Iustinian, Cod. Iust.
6.46.6. Inst. Iust. 3.14.2.
33 Herm. Dig. 26.7.50 pr.
34 Ulpian according to Vivianus, Dig. 21.1.17.3 (for the passage see also Bellen,
Sklavenflucht 40). Paul. Dig. 49.16.14 pr.
35 Cf. also Shaw, ‘Bandits’ 8.
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