The Making of Roman Greece: The Legitimation of Roman Authority in the Greek Mainland, 200 – 31 BCE

This thesis examines the development of Roman authority in Greece from 200 to 31 BCE, with a particular focus on the concept of legitimacy. More precisely, this thesis utilises a sociological model of legitimate authority, in order to assess whether legitimacy played a role in explaining Roman authority in Greece. The findings suggest that by 31 BCE Rome, had not yet decisively established ‘legitimate authority’ in Greece, but substantial progress had been made in legitimizing their authority. While some aspects of Roman authority remained ambiguous, a set of conventions emerged that were both justifiable and generated high levels of compliance.