The Spaniards in Rome

The Spaniards in Rome Synopsis

The Spaniards in Rome: From Marius to Domitian, first published in 1990, examines the expansion and revitalisation of the Roman aristocracy in the later Republic and early Empire, focusing specifically on the political careers of men from the provinces of the Iberian Peninsula.

The indigenous peoples of Spain were renowned in antiquity for the steadfastness of their personal loyalties. Clientela, the specifically Roman practice of official patronage, was a prize worth striving for by a Roman aristocrat in the Iberian Peninsula, and propelled many men of property into the political life of the capitol.

Against the general background of an increasingly influential Spanish presence in Rome, Professor Weinrib provides an intensive examination of aristocratic retrenchment during the most turbulent decades of the first century BC and the consolidation of the empire. Detailed investigation of sources and elaborate argumentation are combined to illuminate that process with special reference to prominent Spanish personalities.