''Lex Acilia Calpurnia'' was a law established during the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

in 67 BC mandating permanent exclusion from office in cases of electoral corruption. The law was passed by and named for the year's

consuls A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

Manius Acilius Glabrio and Gaius Calpurnius Piso.

Background

Cassius Dio Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history of ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...

wrote that the law was directed at men convicted of bribery while seeking office and provided that they "should neither hold office nor be a senator, and should incur a fine besides." He connected this measure to the repeal of a ban on the

plebeian tribune Tribune of the plebs, tribune of the people or plebeian tribune () was the first office of the Roman state that was open to the plebeians, and was, throughout the history of the Republic, the most important check on the power of the Roman Senate ...

s being enrolled as senators or running for public offices after their tribunate. This led to many people 'aspiring to regain the rank of senator by one means or another nda great many factions and cliques were being formed aiming at all the offices.' According to Cassius Dio, the two consuls did not dislike the practice of bribery while

canvassing Canvassing, also known as door knocking or phone banking, is the systematic initiation of direct contact with individuals, commonly used during political campaigns. Canvassing can be done for many reasons: political campaigning, grassroot ...

. Calpurnius Piso had been indicted on this charge but escaped prosecution, again, through bribery. They were forced to propose the law by the Senate. Gaius Cornelius, while he was a plebeian tribune, proposed severe penalties for bribery and this was passed by the people. The Senate realized that it was difficult to find men who would lodge accusations or who would or issue verdicts for bribery because of the severity of the penalties. It sought to moderate the penalties so as to "encourage many to accusations and not prevent condemnations." It got the consuls to frame this as a law. However, the elections had already been announced and no law could be enacted until they were held. The canvassers got up to mischief and there were even murders. The Senate decided to introduce the law before the elections and to give the consuls a

lictor A lictor (possibly from Latin language, Latin ''ligare'', meaning 'to bind') was a Ancient Rome, Roman civil servant who was an attendant and bodyguard to a Roman magistrate, magistrate who held ''imperium''. Roman records describe lictors as hav ...

. Gaius Cornelius got angry and proposed to the assembly of the people that the senators should not be allowed to grant office to those who sought it in a way not prescribed by law, "or to usurp the people's right of decision in any other matter." The senators and Calpurnius Piso opposed this. There was a popular commotion. The lictor's

fasces A fasces ( ; ; a , from the Latin word , meaning 'bundle'; ) is a bound bundle of wooden rods, often but not always including an axe (occasionally two axes) with its blade emerging. The fasces is an Italian symbol that had its origin in the Etrus ...

were broken and Piso was threatened. To avoid violence Cornelius dismissed the assembly without calling for a vote. He then added a provision to the law that the Senate should issue a preliminary decree on these matters and that the decree had to be ratified by the people. After this the law was passed.Cassius Dio, Roman History, 36.38-40.1

References

External links

The Roman Law Library, incl. ''Leges''
{{Italic title 67 BC 1st century BC in law Roman law 1st century BC in the Roman Republic

Background

See also

References

External links