Law, politics and power

On 5 December 63 BC the Roman senate voted for the execution without trial of five alleged associates of Catiline. This is one of the most famous and controversial episodes in Roman political history, involving important questions of individual liberties and public security. This monograph employs a variety of approaches to construct a new and original analysis of the senatorial debate and the issues it raises. It incorporates a systematic analysis of the evidence, with particular emphasis on the interrelationship of individual sources and their own specific characteristics and priorities; it examines the narrative of Sallust in detail and offers a fresh assessment of its methods, objectives and value; it discusses the terms in which the legality of the executions was defended in antiquity; and it addresses fundamental general issues of the interaction between law and politics at Rome.