Susan P. Mattern

“Many gladiators boast on their epitaphs of having harmed none of their opponents, and this may have been expected and honorable conduct: thus some complain that they were killed by deceit or betrayal, and one epitaph even records the revenge-killing of a renegade gladiator who unnecessarily slew his opponent.”
― Susan P. Mattern, The Prince of Medicine: Galen in the Roman Empire

“Tacitus provides a clearer illustration of the tension between imperial authority and the need to make decisions quickly, on the
spot, when the governor of Syria learns that Rome's nominee to the throne of Armenia has been deposed and killed. He calls a council of his own friends to decide what action to take; they determine to do nothing at first, but nevertheless the governor, Quadratus, sends an embassy with a stiffly worded message to the invaders, "lest he appear to condone the crime and Caesar should order something different" (Ann. 12.48). Here, Quadratus intends to write to the emperor about the situation but cannot wait for his reply to make an important decision. Thus the emperor's authority placed limits-albeit vague ones-on what a governor could do.”
― Susan P. Mattern, Rome and the Enemy: Imperial Strategy in the Principate