ABSTRACT
The importance of patronage in Roman society is a commonplace of modern historiography, though one which has been subjected recently to close analysis and criticism. 1 It is not the place here to discuss how far the domestic politics of the Republic were determined by patronage or how important it was for individuals seeking official promotion under the Principate. We are dealing with patronage as a link, or series of links, between the rulers of the empire and the ruled. It was shown in the account of the structure of the empire how both free and subjected allies under the Republic used Roman patrons in order to further their claims at Rome, whether this was preparatory to an appearance in the senate or to the mounting of a prosecution in the forum. 2 Cicero’s quaestorship in Sicily made him a prime candidate for the task of prosecuting Verres and his success secured him a position as one of the province’s patrons. However, such patronage was rarely exclusive: Cicero joined the Claudii Marcelli, descendants of the man who recaptured Syracuse for Rome in the second Punic War, and Pompey, who had made friends there during his operations against the Marians. His opponent P. Clodius claimed later to be joining the number. 3
