This dissertation examines the role of traditional principles and values in Roman foreign relatio... more This dissertation examines the role of traditional principles and values in Roman foreign relations during the period from the end of the Second Punic War to the fall of Carthage. It offers a new perspective by focusing on aspects which have not been adequately ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviated references to ancient sources follow the conventions of The Oxford Classical Dictionary, 4 th edition. Abbreviated references to modern publications follow the conventions of L'Année philologique. principles, in particular fides. This is a complex term, encompassing "everything on which one can rely, a guarantee in the broadest sense, an affirmation, a particular legal relationship of people to each other, or a property found in people or things." 15 For Romans, fides was the virtue which underlay all relational norms. On the other hand, non-Roman peoples could both witness and accept the Roman devotion to fides as part of their larger picture of the Romans as a people and state. Consciousness of such observation by non-Romans is essential to understanding Roman foreign relations under the Republic. Good faith and other norms derived from fides played a fundamental role in the ways that the Roman state and Roman officials approached and interacted with foreign peoples. Social theorists have often had difficulty in reconciling the seemingly altruistic and principled behaviors of actors with the idea that those same actors make decisions on the basis of rational self-interest. Scholar have struggled to explain how principled behavior can be undertaken in the service of selfinterest when the benefit to the actor is not obvious or immediate. In his influential article, "The Strategic Basis of Principled Behavior," Eric Posner argues that such actions may be taken in order to acquire a positive reputation which may be useful in future interactions. 16 This theory has been extended to international law by scholars like Andrew Guzman, who focuses on the reputational effects of states' compliance with international laws and norms. 17
This dissertation examines the role of traditional principles and values in Roman foreign relatio... more This dissertation examines the role of traditional principles and values in Roman foreign relations during the period from the end of the Second Punic War to the fall of Carthage. It offers a new perspective by focusing on aspects which have not been adequately ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviated references to ancient sources follow the conventions of The Oxford Classical Dictionary, 4 th edition. Abbreviated references to modern publications follow the conventions of L'Année philologique. principles, in particular fides. This is a complex term, encompassing "everything on which one can rely, a guarantee in the broadest sense, an affirmation, a particular legal relationship of people to each other, or a property found in people or things." 15 For Romans, fides was the virtue which underlay all relational norms. On the other hand, non-Roman peoples could both witness and accept the Roman devotion to fides as part of their larger picture of the Romans as a people and state. Consciousness of such observation by non-Romans is essential to understanding Roman foreign relations under the Republic. Good faith and other norms derived from fides played a fundamental role in the ways that the Roman state and Roman officials approached and interacted with foreign peoples. Social theorists have often had difficulty in reconciling the seemingly altruistic and principled behaviors of actors with the idea that those same actors make decisions on the basis of rational self-interest. Scholar have struggled to explain how principled behavior can be undertaken in the service of selfinterest when the benefit to the actor is not obvious or immediate. In his influential article, "The Strategic Basis of Principled Behavior," Eric Posner argues that such actions may be taken in order to acquire a positive reputation which may be useful in future interactions. 16 This theory has been extended to international law by scholars like Andrew Guzman, who focuses on the reputational effects of states' compliance with international laws and norms. 17
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Papers by Lekha Shupeck