Kit Morrell
Biographic Data
| ID | 5627703 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kit Morrell |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kit |
| FAMILY NAME | Morrell |
| SIGNATURE | MORRELL K |
| AFFILIATIONS | The University of Sydney |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 39 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 16 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Women, Wealth and Power in the Roman Republic
In the Roman Republic, elite women were legally permitted to control substantial assets – and many demonstrably were in direct control of their wealth. They were also the mothers, wives and daughters of the politicians who built Rome's empire and, in a time of high mortality, could find themselves running households that did not contain adult men. This volume explores the political and social consequences of elite female wealth. It combines case …
Petitioning for Change in the Republican Empire
This chapter examines some ways in which initiatives on the part of Rome's allies could help to shape the practice of Roman imperial governance. In the second and first centuries bce, allies and provincial communities regularly petitioned Rome for the grant of privileges, redress of grievances, and, sometimes, regulatory change. Petitions and embassies could work indirectly to shape Roman policy, as in 169, when the Senate responded to allied com…
Tutela mulierum and the Augustan marriage laws
This paper evaluates the impact of the Augustan marriage legislation on the legal and financial freedom of Roman women, specifically, how the introduction of the ius liberorum (the “right of children”), which granted women freedom from tutela (guardianship), affected the freedom of Roman women to deal with their property as they chose. Scholars have offered diverging views on this topic: some see Augustus’ laws as a key moment in the “emancipatio…
Deditio
Deditio (surrender), more specifically deditio in fidem or in potestatem , was the formal and unconditional surrender of a foreign people to Rome, either as the conclusion to a war or in peacetime, as a means of securing Roman protection against a third party. Deditio by an enemy was an appeal for mild treatment, strengthened by its association with fides (good faith), and often realized in practice. Although deditio gave Rome absolute discretion…
The Alternative Augustan Age
The princeps Augustus (63 bce–14 ce), recognized as the first of the Roman emperors, looms large in the teaching and writing of Roman history. Major political, literary, and artistic developments alike are attributed to him. This book deliberately and provocatively shifts the focus off Augustus while still looking at events of his time. Contributors uncover the perspectives and contributions of a range of individuals other than the princeps. Not …
Cato, Pompey’s Third Consulship and the Politics of Milo’s Trial
Pompey in the east
This chapter argues for a direct connection between Marcus Cato’s Stoic philosophy and his political thinking. In particular, Cato’s Stoic concept of the equality of human beings imposed standards of conduct towards enemies and allies that sometimes went beyond Roman mores , reflected in his restrictive attitude to triumphs and his proposal that Julius Caesar should be handed over to the German tribes. At the centre of the chapter is an analysis …
The equites and the extortion law
This chapter examines the aftermath of Marcus Crassus’ defeat in Parthia in 53. The Parthian threat was real, as was the defence response, but there was no move to avenge Crassus in these years. Instead, Rome disowned Crassus’ aggressive campaign while embracing principles of ethical governance long advocated by Pompey and Cato. The blow to Rome’s military supremacy, combined with endemic misgovernment, created the threat of rebellion within Roma…
Conclusion
The introduction begins with some historiographical problems encountered in the study of provincial governance in the Roman republic, and of the two key protagonists, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus and Marcus Porcius Cato. Discussions of what ‘good government’ meant in Roman terms and of the relevance of moral philosophy set up the parameters of the study. Next, Pompey and Cato’s activities are placed in historical context by outlining previous attempts …
The last lex repetundarum
One obvious shortcoming of the lex Julia (the subject of chapter 4) was that it applied only to senators and not to the equestrian members of a governor’s cohort, who might be equally guilty of extortion in the provinces. This chapter explores Pompey’s unsuccessful attempt in 55 to rectify that deficiency by extending the law to equestrian officials. The attempt was unpopular, but had the vigorous support of a few senators who should be identifie…
The lex Pompeia de provinciis
The final chapter examines what Cicero calls ‘Cato’s policy’—that is, a policy of ethical governance designed to secure the welfare and good will of Rome’s allies. It appears that all governors appointed under the lex Pompeia de provinciis were engaged in this project, which entailed not only ethical governance but consciously exemplary behaviour. The chapter also revisits Cato’s letter to Cicero in the light of Cato’s policy: when Cato speaks of…
Metus Parthicus
This chapter presents a detailed analysis of the lex Pompeia de provinciis of 52. The law should be seen as the product of collaboration between Pompey and Cato in the first half of 52. Cato had been instrumental in creating Pompey’s sole consulship and his role in Milo’s trial shows that their cooperation continued; moreover, Pompey’s law gave effect to a senatus consultum passed the previous year probably with Cato’s backing. Although Cassius D…
Cato’s policy
The conclusion draws together the main threads of the argument before considering, briefly, the ‘afterlife’ of republican reform efforts under the principate. It also reflects on some broader implications of this study for our understanding of Pompey and Cato, of reform and politics in the Roman republic, and of the very viability of republican government.
Cato, Stoicism, and the provinces
This chapter considers the content and context of the extortion law passed by Julius Caesar as consul in 59, the lex Julia de pecuniis repetundis . Cicero describes it as a ‘perfect law’, but its innovations should not be exaggerated. Many of its important features, such as the detailed prescription of a governor’s entitlements and the inclusion of maiestas -type offences, had precursors in a long series of previous extortion laws. Neither should…
Pompey and the reforms of 70
This chapter examines Pompey’s eastern campaigns of the 60s and the ideal of ethical imperialism he sought to embody. The emphasis on moral virtue even above martial qualities familiar from Cicero’s speech Pro Lege Manilia appears also in accounts of the pirate war, the Mithridatic campaign, and Pompey’s triumph. Pompey consistently demonstrated a preference for bloodless victories and humane treatment that extended even to pirates, while his fin…
Pompey, Cato, and the Governance of the Roman Empire
This book examines attempts to improve provincial governance from 70–50, particularly the contributions of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus and the younger Marcus Porcius Cato. It contends that Romans of the late republic were more concerned about the problems of their empire than is generally recognized, and were taking steps to address them. These efforts ranged well beyond the sanctions of the extortion law to encompass show trials, exemplary governance…
Cato and the Courts in 54 b.c
In the 50s b.c. the Roman republic faced serious challenges, not least among them the related problems of electoral bribery and provincial extortion. The year 54 b.c. , which this article takes as a case study, witnessed both the worst electoral scandal Rome had ever seen and the high-profile extortion trial of M. Aemilius Scaurus. These events defy analysis in terms of the political allegiances and prosopographical connections usually tracked. I…
Pompey, Cato, and the Governance of the Roman Empire
This book examines attempts to improve provincial governance from 70–50, particularly the contributions of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus and the younger Marcus Porcius Cato. It contends that Romans of the late republic were more concerned about the problems of their empire than is generally recognized, and were taking steps to address them. These efforts ranged well beyond the sanctions of the extortion law to encompass show trials, exemplary governance…
The Alternative Augustan Age
The princeps Augustus (63 bce–14 ce), recognized as the first of the Roman emperors, looms large in the teaching and writing of Roman history. Major political, literary, and artistic developments alike are attributed to him. This book deliberately and provocatively shifts the focus off Augustus while still looking at events of his time. Contributors uncover the perspectives and contributions of a range of individuals other than the princeps. Not …
Cato and the Courts in 54 b.c
In the 50s b.c. the Roman republic faced serious challenges, not least among them the related problems of electoral bribery and provincial extortion. The year 54 b.c. , which this article takes as a case study, witnessed both the worst electoral scandal Rome had ever seen and the high-profile extortion trial of M. Aemilius Scaurus. These events defy analysis in terms of the political allegiances and prosopographical connections usually tracked. I…
Cato and the Courts in 54 b.c
In the 50s b.c. the Roman republic faced serious challenges, not least among them the related problems of electoral bribery and provincial extortion. The year 54 b.c. , which this article takes as a case study, witnessed both the worst electoral scandal Rome had ever seen and the high-profile extortion trial of M. Aemilius Scaurus. These events defy analysis in terms of the political allegiances and prosopographical connections usually tracked. I…
Pompey in the east
This chapter argues for a direct connection between Marcus Cato’s Stoic philosophy and his political thinking. In particular, Cato’s Stoic concept of the equality of human beings imposed standards of conduct towards enemies and allies that sometimes went beyond Roman mores , reflected in his restrictive attitude to triumphs and his proposal that Julius Caesar should be handed over to the German tribes. At the centre of the chapter is an analysis …
The equites and the extortion law
This chapter examines the aftermath of Marcus Crassus’ defeat in Parthia in 53. The Parthian threat was real, as was the defence response, but there was no move to avenge Crassus in these years. Instead, Rome disowned Crassus’ aggressive campaign while embracing principles of ethical governance long advocated by Pompey and Cato. The blow to Rome’s military supremacy, combined with endemic misgovernment, created the threat of rebellion within Roma…
Conclusion
The introduction begins with some historiographical problems encountered in the study of provincial governance in the Roman republic, and of the two key protagonists, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus and Marcus Porcius Cato. Discussions of what ‘good government’ meant in Roman terms and of the relevance of moral philosophy set up the parameters of the study. Next, Pompey and Cato’s activities are placed in historical context by outlining previous attempts …
The last lex repetundarum
One obvious shortcoming of the lex Julia (the subject of chapter 4) was that it applied only to senators and not to the equestrian members of a governor’s cohort, who might be equally guilty of extortion in the provinces. This chapter explores Pompey’s unsuccessful attempt in 55 to rectify that deficiency by extending the law to equestrian officials. The attempt was unpopular, but had the vigorous support of a few senators who should be identifie…
The lex Pompeia de provinciis
The final chapter examines what Cicero calls ‘Cato’s policy’—that is, a policy of ethical governance designed to secure the welfare and good will of Rome’s allies. It appears that all governors appointed under the lex Pompeia de provinciis were engaged in this project, which entailed not only ethical governance but consciously exemplary behaviour. The chapter also revisits Cato’s letter to Cicero in the light of Cato’s policy: when Cato speaks of…
Metus Parthicus
This chapter presents a detailed analysis of the lex Pompeia de provinciis of 52. The law should be seen as the product of collaboration between Pompey and Cato in the first half of 52. Cato had been instrumental in creating Pompey’s sole consulship and his role in Milo’s trial shows that their cooperation continued; moreover, Pompey’s law gave effect to a senatus consultum passed the previous year probably with Cato’s backing. Although Cassius D…
Cato’s policy
The conclusion draws together the main threads of the argument before considering, briefly, the ‘afterlife’ of republican reform efforts under the principate. It also reflects on some broader implications of this study for our understanding of Pompey and Cato, of reform and politics in the Roman republic, and of the very viability of republican government.
Cato, Stoicism, and the provinces
This chapter considers the content and context of the extortion law passed by Julius Caesar as consul in 59, the lex Julia de pecuniis repetundis . Cicero describes it as a ‘perfect law’, but its innovations should not be exaggerated. Many of its important features, such as the detailed prescription of a governor’s entitlements and the inclusion of maiestas -type offences, had precursors in a long series of previous extortion laws. Neither should…
Pompey and the reforms of 70
This chapter examines Pompey’s eastern campaigns of the 60s and the ideal of ethical imperialism he sought to embody. The emphasis on moral virtue even above martial qualities familiar from Cicero’s speech Pro Lege Manilia appears also in accounts of the pirate war, the Mithridatic campaign, and Pompey’s triumph. Pompey consistently demonstrated a preference for bloodless victories and humane treatment that extended even to pirates, while his fin…
Pompey, Cato, and the Governance of the Roman Empire
This book examines attempts to improve provincial governance from 70–50, particularly the contributions of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus and the younger Marcus Porcius Cato. It contends that Romans of the late republic were more concerned about the problems of their empire than is generally recognized, and were taking steps to address them. These efforts ranged well beyond the sanctions of the extortion law to encompass show trials, exemplary governance…
Cato, Pompey’s Third Consulship and the Politics of Milo’s Trial
Deditio
Deditio (surrender), more specifically deditio in fidem or in potestatem , was the formal and unconditional surrender of a foreign people to Rome, either as the conclusion to a war or in peacetime, as a means of securing Roman protection against a third party. Deditio by an enemy was an appeal for mild treatment, strengthened by its association with fides (good faith), and often realized in practice. Although deditio gave Rome absolute discretion…
The Alternative Augustan Age
The princeps Augustus (63 bce–14 ce), recognized as the first of the Roman emperors, looms large in the teaching and writing of Roman history. Major political, literary, and artistic developments alike are attributed to him. This book deliberately and provocatively shifts the focus off Augustus while still looking at events of his time. Contributors uncover the perspectives and contributions of a range of individuals other than the princeps. Not …
Tutela mulierum and the Augustan marriage laws
This paper evaluates the impact of the Augustan marriage legislation on the legal and financial freedom of Roman women, specifically, how the introduction of the ius liberorum (the “right of children”), which granted women freedom from tutela (guardianship), affected the freedom of Roman women to deal with their property as they chose. Scholars have offered diverging views on this topic: some see Augustus’ laws as a key moment in the “emancipatio…
Petitioning for Change in the Republican Empire
This chapter examines some ways in which initiatives on the part of Rome's allies could help to shape the practice of Roman imperial governance. In the second and first centuries bce, allies and provincial communities regularly petitioned Rome for the grant of privileges, redress of grievances, and, sometimes, regulatory change. Petitions and embassies could work indirectly to shape Roman policy, as in 169, when the Senate responded to allied com…
Women, Wealth and Power in the Roman Republic
In the Roman Republic, elite women were legally permitted to control substantial assets – and many demonstrably were in direct control of their wealth. They were also the mothers, wives and daughters of the politicians who built Rome's empire and, in a time of high mortality, could find themselves running households that did not contain adult men. This volume explores the political and social consequences of elite female wealth. It combines case …
Classical Antiquity Studies (16 works) · Law (15 works) · Political science (15 works) · History (11 works) · Classical Studies and Legal History (10 works) · Politics (7 works) · Classics (6 works) · Cicero (5 works) · Organic Chemistry Synthesis Methods (5 works) · Ancient history (4 works)