Author: BADIAN, E.,
Title: Foreign Clientelae (264-70 B.C.)
Description: Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1958. XI,342p. Original green cloth with dust wrappers. Spine gilt titled. Nice copy. "'This is a valuable and interesting contribution to the study of Roman history; it will (...) establish his place firmly among the younger generation of Roman historians. (...) Clientela, one of the fundamental institutions of Roman private life, had a moral rather than a strictly legal character, of which the primary elements were the fides of the patron and the officium of the client; (...) clientela marks a relationship between inferior and superior. Thus the Romans, long accustomed to thinking in such categories in their private relationships, came naturally to regard their corporate relationship with other communities in like terms, and a foreign clientela emerged as Rome's power increased vis-à-vis that of other states, at first in Italy and then overseas. The two somewhat diverse parts of Badian's study thus deal with different applications of a common attitude of mind. The first section surveys the development of client relationships in foreign policy and ends in 146/133 B.C. when these have hardened into a normal part of the administrative system. Here the so-called clients primarily considered are those in relationship with the Populus Romanus; they are dependent states in which as a result of historical events owed Rome officia in return for beneficia received. (...) In this part individual Romans are considered chiefly as the executors of senatorial policy towards these dependent states. The second part deals with the clientelae of individual Roman families and leaders, which Badian believes became more important with the Gracchan reforms. (...) A large proportion of this part (...) is concerned with the relations of Roman leaders with the Italian allies. (...) Badian (...) has a fresh, confident, and somteimes contentious approach to many old problems. (...) All students of the Roman Republic will find in this scholarly and stimulating work much valuable light thrown upon roman methods of thought and diplomacy in dealing with other states and upon the support which the leaders drew from their non-Roman clients.' (H.H. SCULLARD in The Classical Review (New Series), 1959, pp.274-276)."

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