[lbo-talk] re: L'Edit de Caracalla

Chuck Grimes cgrimes at rawbw.com
Mon Dec 22 12:20:31 PST 2003


LETTER FROM AMERICA

My dear Debray,

........

Naturally, I don't expect to convince you; but who could not attempt to persuade his oldest friend of a project which, he fears, may prove the only safeguard -- however temporary -- of the civilization that has formed them both? In 212 AD the Emperor Caracalla, mindful of the barbarian hordes at his borders and the growing costs of military expenditure, took the revolutionary step of declaring every freeman of the Roman Empire.... Xavier

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Dear Xavier,

Well, this was certainly a positive spin. But welcome to the Empire.

In fact, Caracalla's pronouncement was made in the wake of laying siege to Alexandria. His Imperial armies had surrounded the rebellious city, with his fleet blockading the harbor, and finally took it by force in a year long siege.

On entering the city, the army began the re-conquest in detail by partitioning Alexandria into districts, building walls separating the Egyptian, Jewish, and Greek quarters from the city's administrative center. The central district dated from Ptolemaic times and held the tomb of Alexander, the famous museum and library. This was were the previous governor and his Roman garrison had staged a last stand and were over run in the civil insurrection against Rome. On re-establishing order by partitioning the city into quarters, each was looted systematically, including the center. After appointing a new governor, Caracalla had all the men of military age assembled outside the city presumably to be force inducted into the Roman army. They were slaughtered instead. Upon completion of these tiresome tasks the Emperor declared that the remaining inhabitants of Alexandria were now Roman citizens, sharing all the dubious rights and privileges therein. I am sure the Egyptians, Greeks and Jews of Alexandria were singing Oh, Happy Day.

The re-conquest of Alexandria and therefore subjugation of Egypt was such a successful campaign that Caracalla on returning to Rome made his decree of citizenship to hold in general for the rest of the Empire.

Chuck Grimes



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