Ptolemy XII and Caesar: History of a Debt
Lyubimova Olga V.
The article aims to reconcile Suetonius’ evidence about 6000 talents Caesar received “in his own name and that of Pompey” from Ptolemy for the latter’s establishment on the throne of Egypt, and Plutarch’s evidence that at the moment of his death Ptolemy owed Caesar a half of that sum (17 500 000 drachmas). The article argues against the view of M. Gelzer and M. Siani- Davies, according to which this debt originated in 54 BC, when a Roman banker Gaius Rabirius transferred unpaid debentures of Ptolemy to Caesar’s name. Additional arguments are proposed in favour of H. Heinen and R. Westall’s view that in 59 BC Caesar received only a promissory note but no payment in cash from Ptolemy. An attempt is made to clarify the roles of Pompey and Rabirius in this transaction.
References:
Alexander, M.C. 2002: The Case for the Prosecution in the Ciceronian Era. Ann Arbor.
Andreau, J. 1999: Banking and Business in the Roman World. Transl. J. Lloyd. Cambridge.
Balconi, C. 1993: Rabirio Postumo dioiketes d’Egitto in P. Med. inv. 68.53? Aegyptus 73, 3–20.
Bloedow, E. 1963: Beiträge zur Geschichte des Ptolemaios XII. Diss. Würzburg.
Braund, D. 1984: Rome and the Friendly King: the Character of Client Kingship. London–New York.
Canfora, L. 2007: Julius Caesar. The Life and Times of the People’s Dictator. Transl. by M. Hill and K. Windle. Berkeley–Los Angeles.
Christmann, K. 2005: Ptolemaois XII. von Ägypten, Freund des Pompeius. In: A. Coşkun (Hrsg.), Roms auswärtige Freunde in der späten Republik und im frühen Prinzipat. Göttingen, 113–126.
Dessau, H. 1911: Gaius Rabirius Postumus, Hermes 46, 613–620.
Duncan-Jones, R. 1998: Money and Government in the Roman Empire. Cambridge.
Dvoretskiy, I. Kh. 1976: Latinsko-russkiy slovar’ [Latin-Russian Dictionary]. Moscow.
Дворецкий, И.Х. 1976. Латинско-русский словарь. Москва.
Fantham, E. 1975: The Trials of Gabinius in 54 B. C. Historia 24, 425–443.
Gelzer, M. 1968: Caesar: Politician and Statesman. Transl. by P. Needham. Cambridge.
Gelzer, M. 1969: The Roman Nobility. Transl. by R. Seager. Oxford.
Graindor, P. 1931: La Guerre d’Alexandrie. Le Caire.
Heinen, H. 1967: Rom und Ägypten von 51 bis 47 v. Chr. Untersuchungen zur Regierungszeit d. 7 Kleopatra u.d. 13 Ptolemäers. Diss. Tübingen.
Hölbl, G. 2001: A History of the Ptolemaic Empire. Transl. by T. Saavedra. London–New York.
Huß, W. 2001: Ägypten in hellenistischer Zeit. 332–30 v. Chr. München.
Khrustalyov, V.K. 2017: [The Image of the Egyptian King Ptolemy XII Auletes in Cicero’s Speeches]. Vestnik drevney istorii [Journal of Ancient History] 77/1, 91–105.
Хрусталев, В.К. 2017: Образ египетского царя Птолемея XII Авлета в речах Цицерона. ВДИ 77/1, 91–105.
Klodt, C. 1992: Ciceros Rede Pro Rabirio Postumo. Einleitung und Kommentar. Stuttgart.
Lewis, Ch.T., Short, Ch. 1958: A Latin Dictionary. Oxford.
Lintott, A.W. 1974: Cicero and Milo. Journal of Roman Studies 64, 62–87.
Lyubimova, O.V. 2014: [Crassus the Profit-Seeker: The Character of Crassus in Cicero’s Paradoxa Stoicorum]. Vestnik drevney istorii [Journal of Ancient History] 2, 34–54.
Любимова, О.В. 2014: Красс-корыстолюбец: к вопросу об образе Красса в трактате Цицерона «Парадоксы стоиков». ВДИ 2, 34–53.
Mahaffy, J.P. 1895: The Empire of the Ptolemies. London.
Morrell, K. 2017: Pompey, Cato and the Governance of the Roman Empire. Oxford.
Mühll, F. von der 1914: Rabirius (6). In: RE. II. R. Hlbd 1, 25–28.
Nicolet, C. 1974: L’ordre équestre à l’époque républicaine (312–43 av. J.-C.). Vol. I–II. Paris.
Olshausen, E. 1963: Rom und Ägypten von 116 bis 51 v. Chr. Diss. Erlangen–Nürnberg.
Pelling, Ch. 2011: Plutarch. Caesar. Oxford.
Rollinger, Ch. 2009: Solvendi sunt nummi: die Schuldenkultur der späten römischen Republik im Spiegel der Schriften Ciceros. Berlin.
Rostovtzeff, M.I. 1998: The Social and Economic History of the Hellenistic World. Oxford (first edition 1941).
Royer, J.P. 1967: Le problème des dettes à la fin de la République romaine. Revue historique de droit français et étranger 45, 191–240, 407–450.
Shatzman, I. 1971: The Egyptian question in Roman politics (59–54 B.C.). Latomus 30, 363–369.
Shatzman, I. 1975: Senatorial Wealth and Roman Politics. Bruxelles.
Siani-Davies, M. 1997: Ptolemy XII Auletes and the Romans. Historia 46, 306–340.
Siani-Davies, M. 2001: Cicero’s Speech Pro Rabirio Postumo. Oxford.
Sullivan, R.D. 1991: Near Eastern Royalty and Rome, 100–30 BC. Toronto.
Syme, R. 1979: Roman Papers. II. Oxford.
Westall, R. 2009: Date of the testament of Ptolemy XII. Ricerche di Egittologia e di Antichità Copte 11, 79–94.
Westall, R. 2010: The loan to Ptolemy XII, 59–48 BCE. Ricerche di Egittologia e di Antichità Copte 12, 23–41.
White, P. 1995: Postumus, Curtius Postumus, and Rabirius Postumus. Classical Philology 90, 151–161.
Wiseman, T.P. 1994: Caesar, Pompey and Rome 59–50 BC. In: Cambridge Ancient History. 2nd ed. Vol. 9 Cambridge, 368–423.
Woytek, B. 2003: Arma et nummi: Forschungen zur römischen Finanzgeschichte und Münzprägung der Jahre 49 bis 42 v. Chr. Wien.