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Introduction
17
eventssimilartowhathappenedwithClodiuswouldhavebeenpossible
inimperialRome),theydisappearedfromhistoriography)sfieldofvision.
Collegesandtheirmembersdosometimesappearinthewritingsof
Christianauthors,whomainlycondemntheenormousscaleofcorporate
banquetsandthelackofmoderationexhibitedbythecorporati;theyalso
warntheirfellowbelieversagainstgivingintothetemptationtojoinone
oftheCpagan)associations.43Tisis,ofcourse,averyone-sidedandbiased
visionofcorporatelife,butitstilldeservesattention;firstlybecauseit
provesthehighattractivenessofcollegestotheaveragedwellerofaRo-
mancity;andsecondlybecauseitthrowslightonthewaycorporations
mighthavebeenseenbythecontemporary.Asaresult,thegapcausedby
traditionalhistoriography)slackofinterestincollegesisfilledatleastto
somesmallextent.Whileexcessesrelatedtotheorganisationofcollegial
feastsorevenlocaldisturbances,similartotheoneswhichtookplaceat
Pompei,maynothaveinterestedhistorians,forthelocalauthoritiesand
representativesoftheRomanadministrationsucheventsposedaserious
problem.Weoweoneofthemostinterestingtestimoniesaboutcorporate
lifetothefearsofthegovernoroftheprovinceofBithyniaandPontus,
relatedtograntingpermissiontoestablishacollegiumfabrumatNicome-
dia.Luckilyforus,thegovernorinquestionwasPlinytheYounger,who
sharedhisdoubtsinoneofhisletterstoTrajan.Plinymentionsanimpe-
rialorderprohibitingtheestablishmentofsuchcorporations,buthealso
emphasisestheneedtocreatethecollege,which,inhisopinion,mightbe
useful.44TeconcernoftheRomanauthoritiesaboutfindingacompro-
misebetweentheriskofwell-organisedorganisationsunitingalarge
membershipandthebenefitoftheservicestheyprovidedforthecityand
stateismainlyvisibleinnormativesources.Dozensofrestrictionsand
bansoncorporateactivityincludedintheTeodosianCodeandtheDigest
givetheimpressionthatRomancollegeswereverystronglyregulatedby
thestate.However,weshouldrememberthatwearedealingwithvery
specificsourcematerialhere.CompilersfromLateAntiquitynotonlyse-
lectedandabridgedlawsfromdińerentperiods,buttheyalsochanged
theircontentasneeded(e.g.whentheoriginalprovisionswerenolonger
43SeechapterVI.
44Plin.,Ep.10,33-34;92-93and96.
