Augustus and the provinces: What do the sources tell us?

Organisation

1. Strabo, Geography 17.3

Current arrangements are those laid down by Caesar Augustus. For when his country
entrusted him with the pre-eminent position in its governance and he became supreme ruler
for life in war and peace, he divided the whole empire into two parts. One he assigned to
himself, the other to the people of Rome. For himself he took all those areas that still needed
a military garrison- in effect those that were barbaric, or bordering on tribes not yet brought
to heel, or infertile and difficult to cultivate and therefore inevitably prone to break loose and
revolt, because whatever else they lack there is never a shortage of military strongholds. All
the rest he assigned to the Roman people- all those that were peaceful or easily manageable
without resource to arms.....to his own provinces Caesar despatches legates and procurators.

2. Suetonius, Augustus 47.

Augustus kept for himself all the more vigorous provinces those that could not be safely
administered by an annual governor; the remainder went to proconsuls chosen by lot. Yet, as
occasion arose, he would change the status of provinces from imperial to senatorial, or
contrariwise, and paid frequent visits to either sort. Finding that certain city-states which had
treaties of alliance with Rome were ruining themselves through political irresponsibility, he
took away their independence, but also granted subsidies to others crippled by public debts,
rebuilt some cities which had been devastated by earthquakes, and even awarded Latin rights
or full citizenship to states that could show a record of faithful service in the Roman cause.

3. Cassius Dio 53.

And he did, in fact, restore to the senate the weaker provinces, on the ground that they were
peaceful and free from war, while he retained the more powerful, alleging that they were
insecure and precarious and either had enemies on their borders or were able on their own
account to begin a serious revolt. His professed motive in this was that the senate might
fearlessly enjoy the finest portion of the empire, while he himself had the hardships and the
dangers; but his real purpose was that by this arrangement the senators will be unarmed and
unprepared for battle, while he alone had arms and maintained soldiers.

4. Strabo, Geog 17.1

Egypt is now a province. It brings in significant revenues to the treasury and is ruled by the
most reliable administrators.

5. Strabo, Geog 4.

Augustus Caesar divided Gaul into four parts: he assigned the Celts to the province of
Narbonensis.

6. Tacitus Histories 1.11

Ever since the time of the deified Augustus and down to this day members of the
equestrian order have governed Egypt with what was effectively sovereign power over
the country and the forces by which it was garrisoned. This was a matter of policy and
designed to keep close to home the control of a province which was relatively
inaccessible. Highly productive of cereals, and prone to disorder by readon of a
general licentiousness and religious superstition combined with ignorance of the rule
of law and civil adminsitration.

7. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 18.1-2

Quirinius was a Roman senator. He had successfully discharged all the offices of the cursus
honorum and reached the consulship. With a distinguished record matched by few, he arrived
in Syria having been appointed governor and juridicus of that nation by Caesar, and with a
commission to take a census of all property. Coponius, an equestrian, was sent with him as a
colleague to act as governor of Judaea with a grant of absolute powers. Quirinius also paid a
visit to Judaea, which had been made part of his province of Syria, in order to make an
assessment of property and to sell off the estate of Archelaus.

Problems.

8. Tacitus, Annals, 1.2.2

The provinces too had little objection to the prevailing state of affairs. They had lost faith in
the rule of the senate and the people, having been denied the protection of the laws, which
were constantly subverted by violence, intrigue, and finally corruption.

9. Younger Seneca.

Not so long ago, when Volesus was proconsul of Asia under the divine Augustus, he executed
300 people in one day by chopping their heads off.

10. Senatorial decree Cyrene 4BC inscription.

Imperator Caesar Augustus, chief priest, in his 19th year of tribunician power, proclaims: I
decided to send to the provinces a decree of the senate ratified in the consulship of Gaius
Calvisius and Lucius Passienus when I was present and named jointly as author, and relating
to the safety of the allies of the Roman people, so that it may be known to everyone whom we
look after, and to append it to my edict, from which it will be clear to all who live in the
provinces how much attention we the senate and I are paying that none of our subjects
suffer any mistreatment or extortion.

Treatment by Rome.

11. Strabo Geog 3.2

The Turdetanians, however, and especially those around the river Baetis, have changed over
completely to the Roman way of life, and do not remember their own language anymore.

12. Suetonius, DA 48.

Apart from a few instances, he restored the kingdoms he gained through conquest to the
dynasties from which he had won them, or combined them with some other. He also fostered
mutual ties among allied dynasties, readily favouring and proposing marriages or friendships
between them. He invariably treated them all with consideration, as integral parts of the
empire, appointing guardians for heirs who were too young to rule until their coming of age,
or for rulers whose mental faculties were disturbed, until they recovered. And he raised and
educated many of their children with his own.

13. Suetonius, DA 47
To those that could produce any instance of their having deserved well of the Roman people,
he presented the freedom of Latium, or even that of the City.

14. Edict of Augustus 15BC NW Spain.

I have learned from all my deputies who have been in charge of the province across the Duero
river that the fortress-dwelling Paemeiobrigenses........remained loyal when all the rest were in
revolt. Therefore I present them all with perpetual exemption from obligations.

15. Tacitus, Annals 2.59

Augustus had forbidden senators and the more high ranking Roman equestrians to enter
Egypt without his express permission. This was one of the secrets of his successful despotism.
He made of it a special administrative area, so as to ensure that no one should get control of
that province and starve Italy into surrender.

16. Strabo, Geography 10.5

Once, when we put into Gyaros in the Cyclades, * I came across a tiny fishing village. As we
were setting sail, we took on board one of their number who had been elected by them as
their spokesmen to take a petition to Caesar, who at that time was in Corinth, on his way
home to celebrate his triumph for the victory at Actium. In the course of the journey, the
fisherman explained to those who enquired that he had been set to petition for some
mitigation ** of tax. For his community were required to pay one hundred and fifty drachmas,
when they could barely raise one hundred.

17. Suetonius, DA, 18

Augustus turned the kingdom of Egypt into a Roman province; and then, to increase its
fertility and its yield of grain for the Roman market, set troops to clean out the irrigation
canals of the Nile Delta which had silted up after many years neglect. To perpetuate his
victory at Actium, he founded a city close to the scene of the battle and name it Nicopolis
City of Victory and made arrangements for the celebration of Games there every five
years.

*Islands off the coast of Greece **Reduce severity