Identifier

etd-03142014-095638

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

History

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

Many ancient and modern authors view the first century CE as an unprecedented era of peace and security for the Roman Empire. These writers often identify the Roman emperor Augustus’ diplomatic settlement with Parthia (ca. 20 BCE) as an important cornerstone of the Pax Romana. But while the two ancient superpowers may have averted large-scale conflicts, Romano-Parthian relations under Augustus and the Julio-Claudians were never entirely uneventful or especially peaceful. Whether the Parthian Empire posed a real threat to Rome’s internal security or not, Julio-Claudian emperors developed elaborate “cold war”-style strategies to keep Rome’s eastern rival in check. Augustus and his successors frequently dispatched dynastic pretenders to destabilize Parthia’s Arsacid regime and fought hard to maintain the Kingdom of Armenia as a strategic buffer-state. These strategies, for the most part, preserved the integrity of Rome’s eastern provinces for more than a century; however, that security came at some cost to the Julio-Claudians’ reputation at home. Despite the diplomatic strategy’s general effectiveness, Roman critics viewed the Julio-Claudians’ Parthian strategy with disdain—as a poor substitute for a more direct, more “Roman” militaristic approach to the eastern frontier. To better understand these critics’ objections, this study focuses on the Roman historian Tacitus’ Annales. Tacitus’ work, composed either just prior to or during Trajan’s Parthian War, contains a series of extensive passages dedicated to Romano-Parthian affairs in the first century. In the past, some Tacitean scholars have dismissed these eastern episodes as aimless digressions that bear no relevance for the historian’s overall purpose. Careful analysis reveals, however, that these passages, in fact, form a highly schematized literary argument which calls into question the wisdom of the Julio-Claudians’ Parthian strategy. Undermining the Julio-Claudians’ foreign policy allows Tacitus to portray Trajan’s Parthian War as the proper course of action all Roman emperors should adopt in terms of the eastern frontier.

Date

2014

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Secure the entire work for patent and/or proprietary purposes for a period of one year. Student has submitted appropriate documentation which states: During this period the copyright owner also agrees not to exercise her/his ownership rights, including public use in works, without prior authorization from LSU. At the end of the one year period, either we or LSU may request an automatic extension for one additional year. At the end of the one year secure period (or its extension, if such is requested), the work will be released for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Ross, Steven K.

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.3834

Included in

History Commons

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