The role of Panaetius

Panaetius’ role as the draftsman of a blueprint for humanitas Romana¹⁴ goes back to the lecture tour of Rome in 155 by the Middle Academy philosopher, Carneades. Carneades argued that there was no such thing as natural justice; the natural determinant of human behaviour was self-interest.

Carneades had gone out of his way to discount every tenet of Greek philanthropia. He had virtually challenged the philosophical fraternity to prove him wrong. Panaetius is thought to have responded to the challenge in a work entitled Peri tou kathekontos, â€?On duties’, which was the model for Cicero’s De officiisd⁵ Panaetius formulated an ethical justification for the Roman empire. Of course some men were meant to be ruled and benefited from it; but this imposed a duty on rulers to consult their subjects’ welfare.¹⁶ In this way severity and morality were reconciled: to rule called for severity, but the ruler’s moral obligations promoted philanthropy. In short, Panaetius introduced â€?the moralisation of the imperial idea by the Middle Stoa’.¹⁷

Panaetius communicated his ideas to Aemilianus, both in Rome and on a Mediterranean journey. The association started when Panaetius first visited Rome; the deliberations were attended by Polybius (Cic. Rep. 1.34). Now, the earliest possible date for Panaetius’ first visit is 144 BC,¹⁸ which means that it was not until two years after the destruction of Carthage that Aemilianus learnt that he had complied with an acceptable code of conduct after all. It was therefore thanks to the timely arrival of Panaetius—an arrival possibly instigated by Aemilianus himself or by Polybius on his behalf—that Aemilianus was able to make an adequate reply to the critics who were already attacking him.