No public action of the Roman state, the populus Romanus, at home or at war, was to be carried out without prior permission from Iuppiter Optimus Maximus. Permission was obtained, in a procedure known as auspices, by the magistrate in charge of the intended action-usually a Consul, Praetor, or Dictator. Auspices thus occupy a fundamental place in the-unwritten-constitution of the Roman State. Yet especially in the 3rd century BCE, acceptance of the principle was not always universal. The Challenge to the Auspices presents an investigation into the interaction of Roman magistrates during the Middle Republic with the practice of auspices, with a focus on attempts to avoid, ignore, or resist this requirement. Proceeding from an examination of the Roman concepts of imperium and auspices (auspicia), especially as they relate to the realm of war, and of the constitutional position and powers of the Dictator and the Master-of-Horse (magister equitum) relative to each other and to the Consuls and lower magistrates, the work offers six case studies in which Roman commanders questioned, violated, or openly rejected the need for auspices. It is argued that these instances reflect a not insignificant minority view within the Roman ruling class regarding the efficacy of auspices and the necessity of observing them. The catastrophic outcome in several of these events, particularly during the early years of the Second Punic War, rendered further resistance to the practice politically unsustainable, and by the second century resulted in its universal acceptance, regardless of personal belief.

About the Author
C. F. Konrad studied at the Universities of Oregon and North Carolina. He has worked at the University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Colorado, and the Center for Hellenic Studies, Washington, D.C. He currently works as an Associate Professor of Classics at Texas A&M University, and is the editor of Augusto augurio: Rerum humanarum et divinarum commentationes in honorem Jerzy Linderski (2004) and the author of Plutarch's Sertorius: A Historical Commentary (1994).

Reviews
Konrad (classics, Texas A&M) presents readers with a very interesting analysis of a period when some parts of Roman religion were changing as the Romans ventured farther and farther into the wider world, first on the peninsula and then farther afield over the decades...This study of the auspices illuminates the evolution of power amid a society in flux. * Choice *
The volume offers important insights to various aspects of the Roman auspices and therefore will enrich the studies on this key theme of Roman religious practice as well as on politics in the middle Roman republic... By closely examining several case studies as important keys to the understanding of the importance of augural practices to Roman politics the book under review fruitfully connects the fields of politics and religion and thereby will find his place within the series of publications on Roman religion as well as on Roman government. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780192855527
Author C. F. Konrad
Format Hardback
Page Count 364
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 676g
Dimensions(mm) 160mm * 240mm * 25mm