Abstract

The definition of the so-called ‘client kings’ and their perception by the Romans has been the subject of controversial discussions for a long time. The employment of amicitia populi Romani as an elastic instrument of Roman foreign policy explains why the debate on amicitia embraces much wider themes, such as the nature of Roman expansion in the Mediterranean world. This paper aims to demonstrate the implications behind a terminology that at first glance may simply look conventional, whilst at the same time emphasising just how essential it is that a valid definition of the relationship between Rome and the allied kings also takes into account the changes that occurred over time