Abstract

The quality or virtue of clemency, clementia, is widely advocated in Roman ethical culture as a desirable trait. In Roman imperial politics, clementia is employed both as a quality which emperors advertise that they possess in order to underscore the harmony of the state under their control, and as a quality which high ranking Romans remind their emperor to display if he wishes to maintain his present authority and be respected in posterity. By emphasizing the benefits of extending clemency and the dangers of withholding it, through honors, dedications, literary works, and panegyrics, the senate and Roman elite attempt to exercise some control over the behavior of the emperor. The emperor, in turn, proclaims his clemency on coins, inscriptions, legal rescripts, and on public monuments, illustrating both that he has conquered and that his rule is mild once victory has been attained. Clemency in the public sphere of Roman politics develops from a characteristic which conquering generals show to submissive barbarians, to a quality which the emperor is expected to exhibit to all his subjects. ;In the private sphere, Romans remind each other of the benefits of clement treatment of others in daily interactions. Clemency may be extended in private life between individuals regardless of rank while clemency in the public sphere of imperial politics is always granted by a superior to an inferior. Clement behavior increases a person's reputation and influence, effectively accomplishes his aim, and improves his human nature. The opposites of clemency, savagery and cruelty , are portrayed in Roman imperial literature and histories as distorting human nature and ultimately not efficient means of getting what one wants. A general ethic or clemency deeply pervades Roman culture during the Principate, and is evidenced in many ways, including literary works which specify the desirability of clemency, material remains which illustrate people extending clemency to others, and the epigraphic sources which reveal the widespread use of names derived from clementia