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Better than (when) a Magistrate? Caesar’s Suspension from Magisterial Functions in 62 bc

Better than (when) a Magistrate? Caesar’s Suspension from Magisterial Functions in 62 bc According to Suetonius, in 62 bc the praetor Caesar was ‘banished from the administration of the state’ and left the forum. A spontaneous gathering (coetus) offered him help in recovering his position. Unexpectedly he restrained the crowd, and the grateful senate itself restored him to his rank. Even though only Suetonius explicitly mentions Caesar’s suspension, in fact, all our sources allow this. I will argue that Caesar did not lose his magistracy, just like the plebeian tribune Metellus Nepos affected by the same measures. Nor did the suspension include the restriction of any magisterial prerogatives. Instead, it meant the loss of political initiative. However, Caesar was still able to respond to the initiative of others. Suetonius’ account raises a number of questions about the political role of those who found themselves at the moment of transition from a position of a magistratus to that of a privatus, and vice versa. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Mnemosyne Brill

Better than (when) a Magistrate? Caesar’s Suspension from Magisterial Functions in 62 bc

Mnemosyne , Volume 70 (6): 19 – Oct 26, 2017

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References (21)

Publisher
Brill
Copyright
Copyright © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0026-7074
eISSN
1568-525X
DOI
10.1163/1568525X-12342265
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

According to Suetonius, in 62 bc the praetor Caesar was ‘banished from the administration of the state’ and left the forum. A spontaneous gathering (coetus) offered him help in recovering his position. Unexpectedly he restrained the crowd, and the grateful senate itself restored him to his rank. Even though only Suetonius explicitly mentions Caesar’s suspension, in fact, all our sources allow this. I will argue that Caesar did not lose his magistracy, just like the plebeian tribune Metellus Nepos affected by the same measures. Nor did the suspension include the restriction of any magisterial prerogatives. Instead, it meant the loss of political initiative. However, Caesar was still able to respond to the initiative of others. Suetonius’ account raises a number of questions about the political role of those who found themselves at the moment of transition from a position of a magistratus to that of a privatus, and vice versa.

Journal

MnemosyneBrill

Published: Oct 26, 2017

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