Public performances and political symbols: The rise of Octavianus in 44 B.C.

Abstract

C. Julius Caesar Octavianus, Caesar's grandnephew and adopted son, arrived in Rome with little fanfare in May of 44 B.C., but by November he had built a following that included both the urban plebs and much of Caesar's army. How did this come about? This dissertation attempts to answer this question by examining the public performances of Octavianus against a background of other public performances in the late Republic. Recent scholarship has revived interest in the plebs Romana and their role in the political process. Popular opinion was important to Roman aristocrats, and so was self-advertisement and ostentatious displays of political power and prestige. Public performances--funerals, triumphs, games, and contiones--became stages for this display. Politicians also used them for political communication, whether to arouse the populace to a collective action, to test the political waters, or to enhance their political images. This had the consequent effect of altering the role of the plebs at these performances. Once content to watch the ostentatious displays of an aristocrat's power, in the late Republic they became active participants, and many public performances erupted in violence; thus, these were events where the Roman plebs could display their power as well. The political uncertainty following Caesar's murder in 44 B.C. made the public spectacles of that year more important as politicians fought for the favor of the Roman people. Chapter I covers Caesar's funeral which set the stage for the entrance of Octavianus; chapter II examines Octavianus' triumphal processions; the first in May when he arrived in Rome and the second in July when he was escorted to the Capitolium by Caesar's soldiers; chapter II deals with the games of Brutus and Octavianus; and chapter IV covers two pairs of contiones: those of Brutus and Antonius in March and those of Antonius and Octavianus in November. The players in the drama that followed the death of Caesar recognized the importance of the urban plebs with varying degrees of perspicacity. In the end the one who was best at controlling popular opinion emerged victorious.