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example, established the Augustiani, a body of young noblemen who were trained to cheer the emperor
enthusiastically. Later emperors also received the acclamationi from the Senate, as recorded in the
Scriptores Historiae Augustae. See also CLAQUEURS.
¤ ACHAEA Roman province; conquered in 146 B.C. and eventually composed of a very large part of
Greece, including Aetolia, Acarnania, Euboea, the Cyclades and part of Epirus. Achaea, which had been
attached to the wider territory of Macedonia, was secured after a revolt against Roman dominance;
Augustus later made Achaea a senatorial province. Achaea benefited from the enlightened attitude of the
Roman emperors, who treated pacified provinces in a better manner than their Republican predecessors.
The emperors, seeking to maintain a political equilibrium between Rome and its outlying territories,
offered such provinces advantages for their status.
The rule of Achaea was in the hands of the SENATE, and a proconsul of Praetorian rank acted as its
governor, overseeing the administration of the region from the city of Corinth. This rule remained firmly in
place until the reign of DIOCLETIAN, in the late 3rd century.
During the years of the frontier troubles, 15 A.D. to 44 A.D., the province of Achaea was combined with
MACEDONIA as part of an imperial province under the governor of Moesia, along the Danube. The
Achaeans appear to have relished imperial designation of their lands, as TACITUS recorded that they
petitioned for that status. In 67 A.D., as a result of the proclamation of Emperor NERO giving Greece its
freedom, the Achaeans ruled themselves. Emperor VESPASIAN, however, in either 70 or 74, reformed the
imperial system and reclaimed the province, putting it once again into the hands of the Senate. Aside from
the old Achaean League, which was restored, several other religio-sociopolitical unions were
tolerated by Rome and allowed to exist freely. A Panhellenic League was encouraged by the Philhellenic
Emperor HADRIAN. An IMPERIAL CULT, whose head, the Helladarch, was appointed by league
members, also came into being at this time. A facade of independence was consequently maintained by the
Achaeans, especially in such cities as ATHENS, CORINTH, SPARTA and Elis. No garrison was
posted to Achaea, and a vast amount of self-determination was tolerated.
The imperial power was used with a certain finesse in the region, glimpsed only in the maneuvering of
social and political events by governors, proconsuls and religious institutions. The correctores (first
attested for Italy in 216 A.D.) were also present in Achaea, special agents of the emperor who wielded
the power to regulate trade or to observe finances. Achaea remained a province until the fall of the
Roman Empire.