The Challenge to the Auspices

Abstract

AbstractThe Challenge to the Auspices is an investigation into the interaction of Roman magistrates during the Middle Republic with the practice of auspices, with a focus on attempts to avoid, ignore, or resist this requirement, and on the consequences of such attempts. Proceeding from an examination of the Roman concepts of imperium and auspices (auspicia), especially as they relate to the realm of war, and of the constitutional position and powers of the Dictator and the Master of the Horse (magister equitum) relative to each other and to the Consuls and lower magistrates, the work presents six case studies in the fourth and third centuries bc in which Roman commanders questioned, violated, or openly rejected the need for auspices. It is argued that these instances reflect a not insignificant minority view within the Roman ruling class, the nobility, regarding the efficacy of auspices and the necessity and desirability of observing them. The catastrophic outcome in several of these events, particularly during the early years of the Second Punic War, rendered further resistance to the practice politically unsustainable, and by the second century resulted in its universal acceptance, regardless of personal belief.