Imperium. Il potere a Roma

Throughout its millennia-long history, the story of Rome has been characterised by a highly distinctive and original concept: that expressed by the term imperium. This word encapsulates the relationship between power in its highest sense and the responsibility that comes with it. In managing this onerous task, those in power must fulfil a series of duties. From the very beginning, responsibility towards the Roman people has been underpinned by a set of values that predate even the founding of the city itself, such as fides, or respect for the rules. All of Rome’s great figures are compelled to relate to this concept. Camillus, to whom an early definition of natural law is attributed—one that prohibits any act contrary to human nature; Scipio, the first imperator, who proclaimed the superiority of the individual over institutional structures. Sulla, the idealist in search of impossible returns to the past, was spurred to action; Cicero was inspired by it in his theoretical treatises; Caesar claimed it for himself, though he was unable to retain either power or his life; and Augustus structured it admirably in the new pact with the gods (the pax Augusta), from which the monarchy would emerge. The entire course of imperial history then witnesses a constant debate, involving the Stoics as much as court propaganda, soldier-emperors as much as Christian thought. From this latter sphere, ultimately, will emerge the four-fold structure of the Christian empire, projected into the centuries to come.