ABSTRACT
Following the death of Agrippa, Augustus' next decades were marked by well-earned successes offset by tragic deaths and misfortunes that beset the Imperial family. The future had probably looked secure before 12, but from now on Augustus was forced to adapt to constantly changing circumstances over which he had very little control. He gave Agrippa a public funeral and buried him in his own family mausoleum, even though Agrippa had already prepared a burial place for himself in the Campus Martius. A small part of the funeral oration has come down to us, preserved on a fragmentary papyrus from the Fayum in Egypt. It is translated into Greek, and its tantalising contents add to the confusion about Agrippa's powers. The language is unofficial and imprecise; the occasion would not demand formal titles or political precision, and the phrase that causes the most problems is tortuous to say the least: 'it was sanctioned by law that wherever you were sent, your powers should never be less than those of magistrates in other provinces'. Then Augustus says that Agrippa reached the supreme height of power, which refers to tribunicia potestas, by dint of Augustus' zeal and his own superb qualities, with the consent of all men. This last phrase may have bent the truth a little. Agrippa's popularity was by no means universal, and the senators did not flock to take part in the funeral celebrations. The oration is revealing for the light that it sheds on Augustus* opinion of the salient points of Agrippa's career. It demonstrates the importance which he attached to tribunician power and proconsular imperium, and the cautious way in which he described the latter is quite consistent with his claim that he accepted no office that was at odds with accepted custom; this claim extended to his friends and subordinates as well.1
