ABSTRACT
Within the framework of his theory of social banditry Eric Hobsbawm categorised the avenger as a distinct bandit type.4 Yet all ‘bandits’ fight to right some wrong and, therefore, in the case of other types, even that of the ‘noble’ bandit, vengeance also plays some part in impelling them towards rebellion.5 This is confirmed by our sources. As we have seen in the case of Viriatus, vengeance for the wrong done by Roman generals to the people of Lusitania was the prime motive for his war of resistance.6 The Roman slave wars were fought basically to win freedom for the rebels, but many slaves joined in not just because they were unfree but also because they wished to avenge themselves on their masters for their poor treatment.7 In this, as in other revolts, the cruellest atrocities were motivated by hatred and should be understood as acts of revenge. In provincial rebellions, alongside other factors, explicit or implicit, vengeance was always involved, whether directed against both Rome and a native aristocracy, as in the Jewish War,8 or solely against Rome as an alien oppressor, as in Tacfarinas’ North African uprising. Maternus’ bellum desertorum must have been joined by many nameless soldiers
B A N D I T S I N T H E R O M A N E M P I R E
whose conditions of service had been rendered unbearable by unreasonable demands of which we know nothing. Finally, Bulla Felix, the ‘noble’ bandit who challenged the emperor, appears basically as the avenger of all those who suffered the consequences of the civil wars in general and, in particular, the pressure of taxes and exactions.
