Augustus the Machiavellian Prince: Pareto’s Theory of Elites and the Changing Models of Honor Acquisition and Conflict Resolution in the Early Roman Empire

My dissertation employs a range of interdisciplinary methods to produce a diachronic narrative of the evolving modes of honor acquisition and conflict resolution by the ruling elites of the Roman Republic and the Early Empire. Traditionally, prominent Romans laid claim to political power by displaying “aggressive courage” in battle and then advertising their real or carefully constructed martial achievements to petition the Senate for a triumph. Celebrating a triumph provided extraordinary means for constructing an auspicious public image and augmenting one’s prestige and chances of winning elections for magistracies, thus directly translating personal bravery in battle into success in public life. However, the rivalry for status and political power among Roman elites was characterized by the assertion of claims to social distinction upon others as well as by ranking oneself and one’s peers in a social hierarchy. This was intensified by the ancient Mediterranean belief in limited good; it dictated that all good things in life were in finite supply and could not be increased. Since no human had direct power to augment the available quantities of glory and honor, the zero-sum game meant that a person who succeeded in gaining more honor for himself must have done so at someone else’s expense, making him an immediate object of envy. Once the ruling elites stopped imposing any restraints upon their extraordinary ambitions and greed, they weakened the political system, turning the Republic into a classical Paretian demagogic plutocracy. The cycle of bloody civil wars resulted in the concentration of power first in the hands of a few dynasts and then in the hands of the single individual, Emperor Augustus. Unlike most distinguished Romans, Augustus conducted himself as an exemplary Machiavellian prince: he ignored long-established practices and cunningly appropriated military achievements of others. While publicly maintaining the appearance of an audacious lion to exalt his own virtus, the manliness exemplified by martial prowess, he secretly acted like a shrewd fox, always looking for ways to reinforce his personal hold on power. In particular, the emperor reserved the privilege of acquiring exceptional virtus only for himself and the chosen male members of his family; he strongly discouraged Roman elites from pursuing traditional militaristic ways of honor acquisition. The radical change in the rules of the game forced Roman aristocrats and equites alike to seek alternative, non-military ways to augment their prestige. Not only did this play a role in ending the cycle of civil wars that had wrecked the Republic, but, coupled with Augustus’ sole control of the military, it also contributed to the lasting peace