ABSTRACT
Aristocracy died out with the accession of the Flavians. Vespasian, from Reate, was himself not aristocratic by nature. The history of foreign affairs lapsed entirely; noteworthy events in the usual sense of the term [MH.II, 2] hardly occurred at all until the time of Diocletian and Constantine. Nothing of note occurred, no great wars were fought; individual kings [sic] came and went, raised up by military rebellions, and for the most part also destroyed by them. In general, however, the world was stable and conservative until the centre of gravity was shifted from Rome to the Bosporus. Throughout the work of centuries the vision of Caesar, Augustus and Tiberius, the three great, creative Emperors, was put into practice with some consistency, although often at a dilatory pace. Consequently, our account can no longer proceed chronologically. What I am offering here might more properly be termed ‘Observations on the Roman Imperial State’. However, even major events such as the Marcomannic Wars and the age of Septimius Severus can be dealt with better with this kind of presentation.
