If the military history of the Roman Empire has long been neglected by scholars in favour of political and social studies of the period, this book on policing sits comfortably in each of these three historiographical categories. Not only is F.'s work uniquely comprehensive – it covers policing throughout the empire from 27 b.c. to a.d. 260 (cf. Nippel 1995; Menard 2004) – but it is also thorough in its multifaceted approach, discussing the political, social and military aspects of policing.
F. clearly sets out his purpose and approach in the introduction: to investigate how institutional policing worked in Roman society. He highlights the gaps in the modern historiography on policing, his definitions of institutional policing and the various kinds of policing (civilian, imperial, gubernatorial and detached-service) to be covered in subsequent chapters. Particularly useful for undergraduate readers is a thorough discussion of his methodology.
The second chapter contains a well-documented discussion on runaway slaves in the Roman world. By placing the Roman preoccupation with this problem into a pan-Mediterranean context, F. demonstrates that Roman concerns were not unique. Although part of a Mediterranean-wide phenomenon, Roman intolerance of runaway slaves nevertheless resulted in a four-level network of policing institutions to prevent it. This chapter serves its purpose well: it establishes the prevalence and importance of Roman policing, and it capably demonstrates the roles of the four institutional levels mentioned above. This chapter is well positioned and executed: it introduces an obscure topic in an engaging manner, and explains how all levels of policing worked. In some respects, it could likewise have been an effective final chapter.
Non-military, that is, civilian ‘policing’ is the next subject, and F. begins by discussing the prevention of crime through self-imposed ‘self-help’ methods of social control such as gossip, religion, magic and superstition. Here F. strays from his intended focus on institutional policing, and this continues with his treatment of self-help on estates (e.g. guards, dogs) and when travelling (weapons, travelling in numbers e.g. with slaves). These are more reflective of the state of security in the Roman world than the nature of policing, and are obviously non-institutional. While these topics are related and indeed according to Lintott may be seen as being part of the whole system (Lintott 1999), this could perhaps have been made more explicit at this point. The brief notification about this section in the introduction does not help to make it seem more relevant. The remaining discussion regarding local magistrates (e.g. aediles), market militias (civilian policing), apparitores and eirenarchs, is well presented, and F.'s argument that the Egyptian community lacked civic structures that existed elsewhere and, as a result, developed a variety of police officers, is a strong one, worthy of a more prominent place in this chapter. The concluding section on the shortcomings of civilian policing is effective, providing a smooth transition into the next chapter, and the need for the military to be involved in policing. The range of topics treated in this chapter is commendable, and though it covers similar material to Nippel (1995) and Lintott (1999), its range is broader in geography, time and subject matter.
Chapter 4 discusses imperial policing as established by Augustus, and Chapter 5 continues to discuss the importance of the emperor in policing. These two chapters complement one another, the former laying the groundwork for the latter. Like much of this book, the chapters are exhaustive in their approach. Due to this breadth, certain arguments, for example that policing was required for the suppression of slave revolts and piracy, can sometimes appear tangential. However, since the ancient distinction between military and police was not a firm one, this broad approach is necessary and, indeed, it is consistent with F.'s overall methodology. These well-documented chapters could serve as a treasure trove of information for undergraduates seeking concentrated material for research essays. One interesting insight relates to the numbers and ratios of the ‘military police’ in Rome. This information makes Rome seem almost like a police state. Indeed, F.'s final statement in this chapter, ‘policing, in itself, was not enough’ (p. 145), might be countered with, ‘policing seems to have been too much’. This impression continues through the remainder of the work.
Chapters 6 and 7 cover policing in the provinces and the governors' role in maintaining order. F.'s clarification of the role of frumentarii is particularly useful, since, as he points out, most scholarship seems to classify them erroneously as a secret service. As with the former chapter, the reader may get the impression that Roman policing methods caused a reign of terror, simply due to the amount of policing activity. It would have been useful if the extent to which this was true were clarified. F. does note that the rhetoric of imperial peace reflects people's desire for security, yet I think this is debatable, particularly considering the almost tangible terror that these various police forces seemingly instigated amongst all the classes (e.g. Apuleius' speech to the proconsul of Africa: ‘In no year of office but yours has dishonour had more power than terror in curbing crime’, Apul. Florida 9.36, F. p. 183).
Chapter 8 includes effective arguments on the stationarii (supported with further information in the appendix separating them from beneficarii, contrary to the views expressed in some modern scholarship, e.g. Nelis-Clement, 2000) and regionarii. There are important observations on the effect that detached-service soldier-policing had on the cohesion of the unit. This is a pertinent point for battle studies and will be useful in that evolving branch of Roman military history. Yet, perhaps the most important discussion in this chapter concerns the interaction between soldiers and civilians. This provides a broader picture of the social climate in what up to this point seems like a police state. F. suggests that civilians probably neither liked nor disliked soldiers, but then goes on to discuss the sexual abuses by soldiers, finally admitting, ‘there was no articulate class in the societies of the Roman Empire that did not feel some fear and loathing toward outposted military police’ (p. 231). He continues in this vein, noting that ‘ill will was shared in common by the lowest and the highest strata of society’ (p. 233). As with the preceding chapters, this makes for a grim picture of reality. If the evidence suggests that such ill will was not uncommon, then this is perhaps more important than even F. realises, since this ‘terror of the soldier-police’, as it were, would be crucial to any discussion of imperial society.
F.'s concluding chapter effectively summarises his ideas and lines of argument. He provides good explanations for increased policing, despite the supposed drawbacks (i.e. the ill will they caused). Not addressing the terror that comes through in his arguments could be excused by this final assessment. Here, he points out that the historical record may be skewed with respect to policing activity. The state-police are naturally what we are going to hear most about, and that in turn may be what gives us the impression of a police state.
Though F. occasionally strays from his intended subject of institutional policing, he nevertheless succeeds in his goal of determining how policing worked in the Roman Empire. This is a thorough, informative and accessible introduction to policing, security measures and related aspects in the Roman imperial system. Clear prose and unassuming explanations will make it an extremely effective tool for undergraduates, particularly because of the many brief descriptions of well-known (i.e. oft-cited in contemporary scholarship) evidence. Its cohesive structure and thorough referencing (praise is due to OUP for favouring footnotes over time-consuming and disruptive endnotes) also makes this a good tool for scholars and, as such, it should be seen as a requisite addition to any university library.
