P. Clodius Pulcher and the Praetorship That Never Was

Abstract

According to Cicero, Clodius had been a candidate for the praetorship of 53 BCE suo anno but deferred his candidacy when the elections were excessively delayed. In an influential paper, Badian argued that Clodius’ proper year was 52 and that Cicero was guilty of misrepresentation. By reviewing the evidence and the workings of the lex annalis, this paper makes the case that Clodius did indeed postpone his praetorship, in order to have more time to pursue his legislative programme. That in turn has implications for our understanding of Clodius the politician and of the place of legislation in Roman politics.